Celebrations require bubbles…even if all you’re celebrating is that it’s finally 5 PM. For At-Home Happy Hour today we have a lovely bottle of ’61 Extra Brut Franciacorta by Guido Berlucchi & C.
Franciacorta–as I’m sure many of my readers already know–is Italy’s answer to Champagne. It’s made in a similar style/method to French fizz, and often presents a good value for money. (’61 is the name of the wine and the year that Berlucchi began producing Franciacorta–not the vintage. It’s a moderately fancy wine, but it’s not that fancy.)
Berlucchi’s ’61 Extra Brut pours up as a medium straw color with energetic bubbly action. Emulating the cool kids at the wine bar, I served it in white wine glasses instead of Champagne flutes.
In this crisp and dry Franciacorta I find green apple, citrus, and some delicate white florals on the nose. There’s a hint of bread. But it’s not cake-like and it’s barely toasty–it’s closer to light white toast or even soda cracker.
The acidity is medium-high but well-balanced, and the bubbles have a little bite. Body is on the lighter side. In the mouth it adds some green pear and grapefruit flavors. A flash of something herbaceous, sliced fennel. It’s very dry but not aggressively so. The second and third sips leave a touch of sweetness on the palate. (I would strongly guess that the residual sugar is close the Extra Brut maximum of 6g/liter…but I’m a mere human drinker and not a brixometer so I don’t know for sure.) The finish is bright and refreshing, but not especially long.
This wine shows a lot of discipline and focus…which are funny words to use to praise a bottle that you cut out of work early to drink on a Wednesday afternoon. I don’t find any fault with it except in its restraint. If I’m drinking traditional-method fizz, I like a little more richness on it–but that’s just a preference.
I sometimes wonder if Franciacorta producers get annoyed at the constant comparisons to Champagne. But then again, they created the category so they knew what they were getting into.
With that in mind, I will venture to say that Berlucchi ’61 Extra Brut would be a hit with fans of very clean, dry, and young Champagne. With its dominance of Chardonnay flavors and perfectly calibrated acidity, it would be a capable stand-in for far more expensive Blanc de Blancs.
This wine’s high-volume production (over 4 million bottles annually) means it’s readily available for weddings, picnics, and cheese-nibbling parties. Put it in rotation as an impressive summer sparkler–especially if you can find it on sale.
Bottle: Berlucchi ’61 Extra Brut Franciacorta (NV)
Variety: Chardonnay (85%), Pinot Nero (15%), with ~20% reserve wine.
ABV: 12.5%
Suggested retail: $44.99
My rating: 8.5 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this post. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own. (In this case, my wife received the wine as a gift from a business associate, but it didn’t affect my review.)
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