2021 Agricola Brandini, Alta Langa Brut, Metodo Classico, Sparkling Wine, Piemonte, Italy.
While I focused most of my time on Brandini’s Barolo recently at a tasting with winemaker Giovanna Bagnasco of Agricola Brandini La Morra, I made note of how delicious and distinctive this brilliant Alta Langa Brut sparkler with its Champagne style class and complexity. Vitality shines here with a ultra pale straw/golden hue and crisply mineral driven palate this Metodo Classic sparkling wine that shows off a fine beading mousse and bright citrus, stone fruit and quince on the energetic palate that gains depth with every sip, allowing the yeasty quality to come to the fore, along with saline, wet flint and subtle white blossoms. This 2021 disgorgement was 85% Pinot Noir and 15% cool climate Chardonnay that was whole cluster pressed and fermented in stainless steel at exceptionally cool temperatures, lasting two full weeks. After which it was aged on the full yeast in tank for nine months, before aging a further 36 months in bottle prior to its disgorgement and was finished in traditional cork and cage without finning or filtration to preserve all of the character and nuance. There’s lots to love here, and I appreciate the dry nature here, Brandini used just over 5 grams per liter of dosage, which allows for beautiful clarity and almost Extra Brut level seriousness and tension.
The exciting Agricola Brandini La Morra Estate, as noted in my prior reviews, mostly known for stylish Barolo offerings, is owned by Piero Bagnasco and run by his daughters, Giovanna and Serena, and while in fact they are a pretty recent venture, just starting back in 2007, they have a small collection of prime Barolo vines, and I found the wines to be beautifully made, elegantly focused and very exciting, as their estate R56, Annunziata and Cerretta cru Baroli show, as well as this Champagne like sparkling wine. As noted in my most recent review of Brandini, winemaker Giovanna Bagnasco has been experimenting with whole cluster fermentation in the Barolo wines with some seeing close to 50%, which adds complexity and exotic sex appeal element to her wines. Blending forward thinking, with an eye on the climate changes and environmental sustainability, along with historical traditions make these Brandini efforts an excellent choice for Barolo enthusiasts. Plus, along with the lovely set of still wines, I highly recommend this Alta Langa Brut bubbly. The Alta Langa sparkling wines are from this unique area of Piemonte, up at 600 plus meters and set on rocky soils over a bedrock of limestone, with these vines being just east of the town of Rodello in an area now one of sparkling wine’s newest hot spots!
($46 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive