NV Berlucchi '61 Franciacorta Brut 750 ml

Franciacorta is Italy’s most prestigious sparkling wine—and Berlucchi is its most renowned producer. They literally invented the genre in 1961, making an elegant, Champagne-method sparkler that launched a quality revolution in northern Italy.

Now, hot on the heels of their Gambero Rosso Winery of the Year award—the most prestigious prize in Italian wine—we’re able to bring you Berlucchi’s 92-point ‘61 Brut NV. It’s a stunning value for a wine that delivers pinpoint balance and excellent refinement that will leave you craving another glass.

Made with a very champenoise blend of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Nero, and given a full 24 months on the lees before disgorgement—more than enough to qualify for AOC status were Berlucchi’s vineyards in Champagne—it’s remarkably classy and delicious all at the same time.

Berlucchi’s vineyards lie less than 90 minutes northeast of Milan, and there’s more than a little Milanese glamor to their operation. Guido Berlucchi and Franco Ziliani set out to make a wine that would rival Champagne in class and substance, using Franciacorta’s renowned terroir to make bottles that have refinement and elegance like few other challengers.

Franciacorta’s days are sunny and warm, but the air coming off the nearby Bergamo Alps at night cools the vineyards down to provide the crisp acidity that’s needed to create world-class sparkling wines. The ‘61—named for the year of the winery’s founding—comes from a selection of their best vineyards across Franciacorta, and the wine’s depth and presence are an affirmation of Berlucchi and Ziliani’s original vision.

This is what Franciacorta is all about—elegant, Champagne-quality bubbles at an incredible price.