Franciacorta Pas Dosé Riserva 33 DOCG

Roberto Gatti opened his first winery, Ferghettina, in 1991, after working as a cellar master and vineyard manager for twenty years in Franciacorta. At the beginning, the winery only had three hectares (7.4 acres) under vine but today, the family manages 180 hectares (445 acres) of vineyards. Roberto’s children – Laura and Matteo, both enologists – work side by side with him, bringing innovative ideas, such as a special square bottle shape, meant to give the wine greater contact with the lees in comparison to round bottles. This shape leads to greater finesse, flavor and aroma, not to mention originality and beauty. The new state-of-the-art, 64,600-square-foot winery is located in Adro and is totally dedicated to Ferghettina wines.

Ferghettina calls this their “Blend of blends,” as it combines 33% of Saten, Milledi and the Extra Brut base wines. This means the wine comes from about five different vineyards. After alcoholic fermentation and aging in stainless steel, the different wines are blended and bottled for second fermentation. The wine then spends eighty-four months on its lees. No sugar is added after dégorgement. Tiny, persistent perlage, and elegant aromas of candied fruit, freshly baked bread and crisp apple and pear.