Pinot Nero

Pure Pinot Nero that is only produced in the best years. Fine, very elegant bouquet of redcurrant, blueberry and sweet spicy notes. Cool and lean on the palate, with Burgundian finesse and structure, the fruit discreetly underpinned by fine spice and wonderfully polished tannins. Long and complex with aristocratic restraint and blessed with great ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1964, Annamaria Clementi Zanella bought a small house on a hill near Erbusco, along with two hectares of land, nestled amongst dense oak and chestnut woodland. The house is called Ca' del Bosc, and it continues to bear the estate's name to this day. From this wooded corner of Franciacorta – a region known primarily for its sparkling wine – comes a red wine that goes against the grain: the Pinéro, a pure Pinot Nero from six vineyards in Erbusco and Corte Franca, averaging 36 years of age. This grape variety is unforgiving; it demands patience in the vineyard and restraint in the cellar. Anyone who cultivates it in a region where sparkling wines are the norm is choosing the harder path – and must prove it in the glass, rather than explain it.

Pinot Noir at high alpine altitudes – a risk that few are willing to take and even fewer manage to master. Markus Prackwieser is one of those rare winemakers who infuses the Burgundian character of this capricious grape variety with South Tyrolean mountain flair. His Renaissance Pinot Nero Riserva is more than just a wine – it is the interplay of soil, microclimate and winemaker, manifested in liquid form. And as with all Renaissance wines, the rule applies: only in exceptional years, when the terroir reveals its greatest character, does this wine, after prolonged ageing in barriques, impress with its very own identity. The grapes come from the highest plots of the Gump Hof, where Pinot Noir grows at altitudes of 500 to 550 metres on calcareous moraines over quartz porphyry. Vinification follows Burgundian principles with Alpine rigour: one week of cold maceration, followed by two weeks of fermentation and contact with the must in stainless-steel tanks – forty% of which is whole-bunch fermentation, that demanding technique which brings out floral notes, spice and silky tannins. This is followed by eighteen months in barriques, half of which are new, with malolactic fermentation. After blending, the wines mature for a further five months in large wooden casks, before at least one year of bottle ageing completes their development.

A Grand Cru of Franciacorta – from a single, high-altitude Pinot Nero parcel, selected and vinified with the utmost precision. The 2013 matured on the lees for more than seven years and was disgorged without dosage in order to reveal the pure character of the vineyard. In the glass, it shines in a rich gold colour with copper reflections, interspersed with an ultra-fine, persistent perlage. The nose is deep and multi-faceted: ripe apricot, candied orange peel, rosehip, fine brioche notes, hazelnut and a hint of smoke. Powerful and focussed on the palate, carried by taut, crystal-clear acidity and a silky texture. The fruit remains subtle, while salty minerality and fine toasted notes create great inner tension. The final is long, cool and complex, with hints of dried herbs and citrus zest. A Franciacorta of rare depth and nobility – uncompromising, clear and of impressive longevity. SUPERIORE.DE