NV Bellavista Alma Gran Cuvee Brut Franciacorta Italy 750 ml

If you want to understand Franciacorta—Italy’s “number one classic method sparkling wine region,” according to Robert Parker—look no further than the Bellavista Alma Gran Cuvée. An ethereal blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, and Pinot Bianco, the Gran Cuvée perfectly captures the majesty of this stunning region at the foot of the Italian Alps. Rich and creamy in texture, offering exquisite complexity—quince and yellow apple, honey-roasted nuts, limestone, and spice—the Gran Cuvée proves a worthy adversary to great Champagne in every way except one, price. 

You could go to Rome, where more glasses are filled with Bellavista than with water. Or, you could pull up Google Earth, pop a bottle of this Gran Cuvée right at home, and surf the streets of Rome from your desktop. Maybe even click northward toward Lombardy and Lake Iseo and the surrounding vineyards that give rise to Franciacorta, Italy’s great sparkling wines. Zoom right in on Bellavista, and dart around the terroir. Take another sip. Be transported.  

What you need to know about Bellavista founder, Vittorio Moretti, is that he started out making wineries, not wine. His construction business led him to the wine industry, but it wasn’t long before he caught the bug. In the early 1970s, Moretti began making wine for friends from a few acres in Franciacorta on what would later be named Bellavista Hill. By 1977, Moretti was all in, producing his first commercial vintage. In 1981, Moretti met winemaker Mattia Vezzola who would prove key in leading Bellavista to its status as a “prestigious estate,” offering “a bevy of dazzling sparklers,” as Robert Parker wrote. In 2007, Vezzola’s work was recognized by Italy’s leading wine guide, Gambero Rosso, which awarded Vezzola “Oenologist of the Year” honors.

To make the Alma Gran Cuvée, Vezzola gathered fruit from 10 districts of Franciacorta, making the time-intensive choice to vinify them all separately. The 10 sites, all in proximity to Lake Iseo, share the breezy microclimate of the region and are all planted at altitudes between 600-1,000 feet. While time-consuming, the choice to vinify each lot separately gave Vezzola maximum control during blending. The result was an incredibly nuanced wine; a cross-section of a distinguished Italian terroir that offers much more quality than its humble price tag would suggest. We’re buying cases of this for the holidays, and recommend you do the same.