Divella ‘Ninì’ Metodo Classico Bianco 2017
Location: Italy, Lombardy
Winemaker: Alessandra Divella
Grapes: Chardonnay (50%), Pinot Noir (50%)
Soil: clay, limestone
Winemaking: 75% of the wine comes from the 2016 harvest, and the other 25% from vin de reserve. Spontaneous fermentation in 2nd + 3rd passage barriques. Aged in barriques until April. Age 42 months on the lees. Bottled April 2017, disgorged November 2020, with zero dosage.
From the Importer Super Glou: ‘Ninì’ is a saline-packed sparkling that reminded Alessandra so much of her father, who grew up basking in the salty and misty air of the port city of Bari, that she named this cuvée after him. A powerhouse of a zero/zero Franciacorta that brings complexity, depth, and a lingering finish. This mineral-driven wine also evokes notes of bruised fruit and a lightly oxidative quality.
At twenty-nine-years old, Alessandra Divella is the Italian answer to grower Champagne, on track to upend the industrial farming practices rampant in Franciacorta. Her vines have been organic from the start and her two hectares, on lease for thirty years from an older neighbor, teem with life, including rosehips and praying mantises. The aim is to eventually move toward permaculture. Grapes are always hand harvested and treated gently.
Alessandra herself has a quiet confidence that belies the adrenaline rush of her wines: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir so saline and bracing they make your heart race. She does not come from a winemaking family but rather stumbled into it through interactions with winemakers that made her "feel at home." She does, however, draw from her family heritage when it comes to detail and precision: her Italian father (for which her NiNì cuvée is named) and Swiss mother (Clo Clo) are both academics.
Zero sulfur / zero dosage, Alessandra's wines are 100% méthode champenoise so dialed into their provenance of clay and limestone that your mouth will salivate for minutes (if not hours) afterward. With less than a decade of winemaking experience under her wing, Alessandra has already achieved pioneer status within the region as one of the first estates to farm organically and the first to be female-led. The exceptional level of wines produced is mind-melting, especially considering that this is only the beginning.