Alta Langa Extra Brut, Ettore Germano

Alta Langa Extra Brut, Ettore GermanoThe Alta Langa Extra Brut from Ettore Germano is a stunning, elegant, complex and, lip smacking. Champagne method, sparkling wine, produced by our friends and esteemed colleagues in Piedmont. Apple and peach skin notes are flanked by lemon zest and dried white flowers and that crusty brioche sweetness that make you want to put this straight to your lips. The palate is super fresh, zippy and citrussy with lots of orchard fruit notes but a constant

The Alta Langa Extra Brut from Ettore Germano is a stunning, elegant, complex and, lip-smacking. Champagne method, sparkling wine, produced by our friends and esteemed colleagues in Piedmont. Apple and peach skin notes are flanked by lemon zest and dried white flowers and that crusty brioche sweetness that make you want to put this straight to your lips. The palate is super fresh, zippy and citrussy with lots of orchard fruit notes but a constant undertone of that autolytic bready, toasty goodness that makes it so smooth. The wine is broad and round with a creamy and firm bubble that dovetails to a refreshing yet complex finish, with some bitter almond notes lingering. This needs little accompaniment to sing in full voice, but it will also be a fine partner to shellfish (oysters!) or light starters.

During the production of this Italian Champagne method sparkling wine, Ettore Germano ferment the Pinot Noir in stainless steel and the Chardonnay in untoasted oak barrels. After the second fermentation in bottle, the wine spends 30 months on the lees before disgorgement (removal of dead yeast cells before new cork added). The 2016 Alta Langa is Extra Brut which means it’s a particularly dry and elegant style.

Sergio Germano, fourth generation family winemaker, acquired a 12-hectare plot in the Alta Langa production area, 70Km south of Turin, in 1995. His passion for Italian white wines and Italian sparkling wines led him to plant varieties often unseen in these parts, and his passion for Champagne (he admits it’s often his drink of choice, don’t tell Nebbiolo) led him to plant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for the production of Alta Langa sparkling wine.

Piedmont has a long history of traditional method sparkling wine production, with the first winemakers documenting their production in the mid-19th century. However, it wasn’t until over 100 years later that a group of passionate Piedmontese producers clubbed together to formalise production standards and help grow the reputation of the area. Alta Langa is always a vintage wine, so no blending between years like for Non-Vintage Champagne and must be aged for at least 30 months on the lees.