Cà del Vént ‘Anima’ Brut Rosato 2014

Location: Italy, Lombardy

Winemaker: Antonio Tornincasa

Grapes: Pinot Noir

Soil: clay, limestone

Winemaking: Long and slow press. Naturally decanted and spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts. Second fermentation with the addition of grape sugar and elevage on its lees for 45 months. Pas Operé refers to the use of the same wine (instead of sugar) for secondary fermentation; there are no other additives whatsoever.

From us at M&L: ‘Anima’ is all Pinot Noir. This slaps bruised red fruits together with candied mushroom and some unnamed spice. Free of the heavy dosage, the textural sap and under-acidic-overly-bubbly trappings of many Franciacorta, this is singing.

From the Importer PortoVino: Cà del Vént, home of the wind, is the name of the winery and an apt description of it. Just North of Brescia, in the hills of Campian di Cellatica, a sunny southern exposition warms six hectares of vineyards, which are then cooled by the wind that’s always blowing here.  An altitude of 300-400 meters and mainly chalky soils chisel the fruit. In the last few years, as the wines have become more refined and acid-driven, the Franciacorta consortium has starting rejecting them. Well, for Franciacorta lovers, maybe that would be a problem. For us, it’s encouraging.

I recently asked Antonio Tornincasa about this year’s harvest, to see how it is going. He started recounting a day by day playbook of the weather from June 2009. Ask about soil and dig in for a good listen; Antonio is just as obsessive of a terrorista as he is a naturalista. He vinifies 13 parcels separately and makes the final blend at the end of winter. Pas Operé refers to the use of the same wine (instead of sugar) for secondary fermentation; there are no other additives whatsoever. These are not cheap, but I truly don’t know of any sparkling wines in all of Italy that are more stunning and pure than these.