2007 Trento Giulio Riserva
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Full bottle a massive 1,978 g, but I suppose it was bottled long before we became aware of the need to lightweight bottles. This Riserva del Fondatore in their Collezione range is made only in exceptional years, from 1995 but rarely. High-elevation Chardonnay. Fermented in tank. Disgorged February 2025 after 16 years on lees! Golden with great breadth of fruit. Although it’s now 18 years old it still has great freshness and tension. But the fruit is notably ripe despite being Extra Brut. That’s lees ageing for you. It’s slightly less contained and neat than the Berlucchi Franco Ziliani 2011 I’ve just tasted but is awfully good! Top Italian metodo classico deserves more attention. (JR)
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Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Impressive freshness for this 12-year-old fizz, with lemon and grilled-almond aromas leading to a refined, punchy and tangy palate that has plenty of juicy appeal. Drink or hold.
Now we're talking. The 2007 Trento Metodo Classico Extra Brut Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore (disgorged in 2018) is a pure expression of Chardonnay. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel, and the wine ages in the bottle on its own yeasts for at least ten years. Perhaps the secret of this flagship sparkling wine is the carefully measured atmospheric pressure that is applied. The medium to full-bodied wine is soft and yielding yet determined and firm at the same time. I just love the lavish intensity of the warm and balanced 2007 vintage. Some 60,000 bottles and 1,500 magnums were made.
A focused and linear sparkling wine with biscuit, lemons and lightly cooked apples. Some flowers, too. Medium body. Delicious fruit and balance to this. Extremely long, subtle and complex. This can be one for the cellar. Drink or hold.