90 Points | International Wine Cellar , March/April 2012

Bright yellow with a strong mousse. Intriguing scents of dried lemon rind, ripe pear, peach, clove and anise. Enters smooth, creamy and soft, with impressive depth to the powerful citrus and orchard fruit flavors, then turns a bit more subdued in the middle, with delicate herbal and dried flower notes carrying through the sappy, gently chewy finish. This blanc de noirs made from 100% schioppettino grapes (the skins were immediately removed from the must) spent 18 months on its lees in the bottle. This is the first-ever sparkling wine made from schioppettino, and I have to say the final result is impressive-though it's a shame to use the little schioppettino available for this purpose, as it makes a delicious and refined red wine. Though this wine lacks the complexity of a truly great Champagne or Franciacorta, it is much deeper and more interesting than many sparkling wines made elsewhere.