Pick of the Pignolettos: top 12 to try
Wines were tasted independently by both Carla Capalbo and Sally Easton MW
Orsi Vigneto San Vito, Sui Lieviti Pignoletto Frizzante Brut, Colli Bolognesi 2014 95
£ 22 (2017) Noble Fine Liquor, Tutto Wines Reverting to the rifermentato technique used by his grandfather, Federico Orsi produces this wine with a second fermentation in bottle. Without disgorgement, the indigenous-yeast lees provide protection from oxidation. At the time of tasting, the wine had spent four years on the lees, giving it sweet-pastry aromas and a dry, creamy palate with plush peachy fruits and yeasty spiciness. Organic. Tasted by Sally Easton MW
Drink 2020-2024 Alcohol 12.5%
Tenuta Santacroce, Metodo Famigliare Sur Lie Pignoletto Frizzante Brut, Colli Bolognesi NV 92
N/A UK www.tenutasantacroce. it
This is an estate owned by the Chiarli family and it has 30ha of vines, about half of which are Grechetto Gentile. Made with a second fermentation in bottle and no disgorgement, this wine has aromas of cinnamon and savoury pastry, melding with orange skin and marmalade piquancy for complexity on the palate. Shows good concentration. SE Drink 2020-2023 Alc 12%
Cevico, Romandiola Pignoletto Frizzante Brut, Colli d’Imola 2018 91 £9.95-£ 11.95 Exel, Hallgarten Wines,
The Drink Shop, Vin Cognito
Romandiola is the ancient name for Romagna. From Terre Cevico, a large, well-established cooperative, the grapes are grown on the hillsides above Imola and picked by hand. Herbal notes and hawthorn blossom on the nose, expressive and elegant palate with yellow-citrus flavours, a hint of lychee and a rounded finish. Tasted by Carla Capalbo Drink 2020-2022 Alc 11.5%
Balli Vini, L’Ancestrale Pignoletto Spumante Brut Nature, Colli Bolognesi 2017 89
N/A UK www. ballivini.com
This 10-month lees-aged cuvée from Alessio Balestri shows appealing yeastiness and development. A steelysavoury nose with complex hints of nuttiness leads to a rich palate with honeyed breadth. Baked apples and raisins are well balanced against its steely-dry frame, supple mousse and long finish. SE Drink 2020-2022 Alc 13%
Castelvetro, Pignoletto Extra Dry NV 89 £ 11.95-£ 17.99 Bonafide Wines, Enotria& Coe,
Exel, Great Western Wine, Great Wines Direct, Simply Wines Direct, The Wine Centre
The vineyards for this extra-dry wine have long been owned by the Chiarli family. They are located in the hills near the village of Castelvetro in Modena, and the wine is made in the Cleto Chiarli cellars there. It has a toasty, flinty note to the nose and is well balanced on the palate, with persistent bubbles and refreshing flavours of grapefruit and pear. CC
Drink 2020-2022 Alc 12%