Brioche, lemons, peaches and apple tart on the nose, with a whiff of raspberry and honey. It’s creamy and silky, beautifully balanced, with soft and fine bubbles and an elegant, long and lightly honeyed finish. 75% chardonnay and 25% pinot nero. Drink now or hold.

The 2011 Franciacorta Brut starts with drying mineral notes and clean tones of white peach, passion fruit and toasted almond. As the wine warms in the glass, it begins to show more robust tones of toasted bread or French baguette. The wine exhibits delicate perlage that is steely and firm. This blend of 75% Chardonnay and 25% Pinot Nero does a great job of refreshing the palate. Only 30% of the wine sees contact with neutral oak.

Bellavista's 2010 Franciacorta Brut marks an impressive effort by this historic and widely successful estate in Italy's number one classic method sparkling wine region. Unlike its peers, this wine shows a direct and massively confident aromatic delivery with candied almond paste, exotic fruit, pine nut, baked bread and orange jelly. It's all very unique and appealing in every manner. Soft effervesce adds to the wine's rich, creamy mouthfeel. This Brut, made with 72% Chardonnay and 28% Pinot Nero, delivers the goods.

The 2001 Cuvee Brut is a sparkling wine of some elegance in its tiny bubbles, finesse, and crispness but I recall the wine as having more depth in the past.