Perlé TRENTODOC

Paradoxically, Italy’s most famous metodo classico sparkling wine was started with the desire to compete with the best French Champagnes. Giulio Ferrari, a Trentino native, started his venerable sparkling wine house in 1902, after studying winemaking in France. Convinced that his native region’s terroir was ideal for growing Chardonnay, he produced three of his now best-known cuvées – Ferrari Brut, Perlé and Giulio Ferrari – as blanc de blancs. This innovative approach quickly paid off. Ferrari wines consistently receive some of Italy’s top accolades, including being awarded Tre Bicchieri 22 years in a row. Ferrari Perlé is the icon of the Ferrari style, a synthesis of elegance, freshness and harmonious complexity. Since 1971 (the first vintage produced) its extraordinary success has been repeated year after year, thanks to its extremely attractive taste profile and its versatility when matched with food.

A vintage Blanc de Blancs obtained from a special selection of Chardonnay grapes grown in mountainside vineyards situated in Trentino’s finest zones for the production of Trentodoc wines. With its mountain viticulture (the Dolomites), Trentino is an area well suited to the production of sparkling wines of great elegance and complexity. Large diurnal temperature ranges and high altitudes ensures high acidity and freshness in the grapes. The winter was mild, while spring saw several areas of Trentino hit hard by frost and cold temperatures. The summer solstice began a period of intense thunderstorms and hailstorms. The harvest began on August 14th, ten days earlier than average, and ended on September 14th, with a very good quality yield of grapes.

Ferrari Perlé is made using the traditional metodo classico. The wine undergoes a gentle pressing and then the first fermentation is in tanks. The wine is bottled and a second fermentation occurs with selected yeasts. Aged for an average of 54 months on lees, with yeasts selected from Ferrari’s own strains.

Deep yellow with golden highlights. The perlage is extremely fine and persistent. A particularly fine, intense bouquet, with hints of almond blossom and reinette apples; slightly spicy and with a hint of bread crust. Seductive and elegant, with a very persistent velvety texture. A light fruity note of ripe apples, pleasant hints of yeast and sweet almonds and a faintly aromatic quality that is typical of Chardonnay.