The Beauty of Mature Sparkling Wine Capable of Challenging Time

 One of the questions I am most frequently asked – since ever – is about my preferences when it comes to wine and what is my favorite one, in terms of style or a particular label. I always and promptly reply with “the good one”. In truth, I am well aware of the burlesque superficiality of my statement, after all, a similar question cannot have a “precise and specific” answer. However, it corresponds to my personal taste about wine: I don't think I can say that, for example, I like red wines more than white ones, or prefer sparkling wines over sweet wines made from dried grapes or, finally, fortified wines over rosé ones. Definitely, as trivial as it may be, yes, I like good wines, or rather, the ones which meet my preference and standard. This means, no less, that it depends on the moment, the person or people with whom a specific wine is shared, the place and the occasion.

 When I happen to find a good wine in the glass – that is, a wine that I really like – I usually buy at least three bottles. The first is intended for immediate organoleptic tasting, therefore taking notes and writing down all its sensorial qualities – including my impressions and predictions about its evolution – both for my future memory and to enrich my very personal database of tastings which is now about to count around 85,000 wines. The “future memory” will be useful when, after a few years, I will taste the second bottle, again, scrupulously noting the organoleptic qualities, comparing them with the first tasting. Finally, the third bottle is uncorked after a long time, often very long, always taking note about its sensorial qualities and comparing them with the two previous tastings. If I particularly like that wine, the purchase is frequently increased to six bottles, three of which are to be tasted and shared with friends and enthusiasts, uncorked as soon as the right occasion or moment comes.

 The time intervals in which the two tasting bottles are uncorked are determined by the style of wine, type, territory, composition of the grapes and, last but not least, production techniques. Most of the time, the third bottle is the one giving the most extraordinary surprises, often completely unexpected. By considering I started cultivating this purchasing habit about thirty years ago, in the last ten years the number of “third bottles” that find their way to the glass, inevitably passing through the corkscrew, has increased considerably. It may of course happen some “third bottles” have not withstood the challenge of time, succumbing to the weight of the years, something that, punctually, was often predicted at the moment of evaluating the second bottle. As they say, “it doesn't hurt to try”, even if in these cases, “it hurts a lot and too much”, while in others the wait is magnificently rewarded by the beauty of a wine that has grown to full, complex and very elegant mature nobility thanks to time.

 This habit was started mainly because of my interest – or rather, passion – for mature classic method sparkling wines, those which, after a period of time, which many consider excessive, magnificently develop in the bottle a complexity unattainable for many other wine styles. They are not the only bottles to be purchased for this joyous educational purpose, as my cellar is also cheerfully populated with whites, rosés and reds, not least fortified and sweets from dried grapes. Those that always and punctually surprise me are, anyway, the classic method sparkling wines, in particular those produced with one of my favorite and dearest grapes: Pinot Noir. It is not the only one, of course, but the beauty and class that can achieve classic method sparkling wines produced with the great red grape from Burgundy is truly amazing, even after 30 years.

 Of course, some crispness is lost, the effervescence certainly does not have the strength and impetus of a young age, but on the nose – oh, the nose! – it takes on a character of extraordinary complexity, complex aromas in which can be still recognized the charm of a beautiful young woman who time has made even more fascinating, of conscious and accomplished feminine class and elegance. Even the taste, evidently, is decidedly distant from the memory of the exuberance of youth, with the roundness definitely taking a leading role, however well supported by the crispness of the mature acidity and a more gentle effervescence, to mark the course of time. The evolution of the aromas of these sparkling wines also fully corresponds to the taste, with flavors that are far from the immediate understanding which is typical – allow me a bit of generalization – in young sparkling wines after a few months after disgorgement. These wines now require complete attention and concentration: only in this way do they indulge the senses and offer all their nuances acquired over time.

 The sensorial qualities given by yeasts and – in particular – by their autolysis, are a distant memory, now forgotten by the oblivion of time. A completely new world of emotions opens up and certainly unsuspected by those who are used to the sensorial qualities of classic method sparkling wines with a few months of life after disgorgement. Of course, waiting for years can also decidedly give very bad surprises, when a wine is poured into the glass that has gone well beyond the beauty of its maturity, therefore – so to speak – now “dead” and devoid of any finesse or sensorial interest. It is a risk that I willingly take anyway since it allows me to learn a precious lesson about that wine – considered in its enological potential – and which often also becomes very useful for judging the fate of similar wines. When this happens, the disappointment and annoyance can possibly be soothed by uncorking another bottle. Fingers crossed, of course.

 In general terms, the classic method sparkling wines produced with Pinot Noir – alone or blended with other varieties – are those giving the greatest satisfaction, both for the development of sensorial qualities and for the ability to challenge the time. However, this is not a reliable rule, as it has happened that classic method sparkling wines produced with Pinot Noir have turned into bitter disappointments, despite my initial confidence and enthusiasm. It also happens that sparkling wines produced with unsuspected grapes prove to have an excellent vocation for the production of classic method wines capable of evolving and developing over time. In the majority of cases, these are native Italian varieties, transformed into joyful bubbles by far-sighted and enterprising producers. In addition to my personal pleasure and predilection for mature classic method sparkling wines, I believe that the study of these bottles represents an enormous educational value. Most of the time are discovered sensations and qualities – in every single phase of the tasting – that are completely unexpected and unsuspected, including those that, with my great satisfaction, I imagined they would have developed over time. In one case or the other, I however win the amazement at the beauty of classic method sparkling wines capable of challenging and winning time.