Cleto Chiarli travelled to Paris in 1900. In his luggage: bottles of his Lambrusco, fermented using the old method – fermentation in the bottle, no intervention, no dosage. The jury of the World Exhibition awarded him the "Mention Honourable". A century later, the Wine Spectator voted Fondatore one of the top 100 wines in the world. The secret is the process. While the market favours Charmat, Chiarli 1860 sticks to the Metodo Ancestrale for del Fondatore, with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle. This is followed by six months of maturation on the lees. No dosage. The result is a Lambrusco that can be traced back through the vintages – and which shows what this wine sounded like long before anyone had the idea of making it sweet.
Light, bright ruby pink with a delicate shimmer. On the nose, raspberry, flowers, a hint of brioche from the yeast – complex, fine, unmistakable. Dry and juicy on the palate, with fine sparkling carbonic acid and a long, savoury finish. Not a grand gesture, but a very old truth in the bottle and a lot of fun in the glass. SUPERIORE.DE
