This excellent sparkling wine is dedicated to the memory of estate patron Giuliano Bortolomiol. The 2016 Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Rive San Pietro di Barbozza Grande Cuvée del Fondatore Motus Vitae Millesimato Brut Nature is the Prosecco Superiore you want to try if you want to experience the top-shelf products in this category. Prosecco is seen as an easy-drinking and refreshing wine without much complexity. This is a fair assessment; however, a wine like this shows the craft and the care that is necessary to elevate the wine's reputation. This sparkler is packaged in a minimalist, transparent bottle. The wine opens to a luminous appearance and crisp lines of lemon zest and white jasmine. This wine is made according to the Metodo Martinotti, but it sees ten months on the lees. Only 8,000 bottles were made.

The name of the single-vineyard (or Rive) is written in such small font on the back of this bottle, I have to wonder why it was even included at all. The Bortolomiol 2015 Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Rive San Pietro di Barbozza Grande Cuvée del Fondatore Motus Vitae Millesimato Brut Nature is another example of a wine with a name that is entirely too long. I can see about ten words in that name that could easily be eliminated. Run-on sentences notwithstanding, this is a crisp and linear expression with bright tones of citrus, kiwi and wild sage. I do think that the transparent bottle used in the packaging is very well-suited to the light, crystalline and carefree wine inside. This is a very pretty quality Prosecco Superiore. The wine is dedicated to Giuliano Bortolomiol and only 8,000 bottles were produced.

The idea here is to present a more structured and sophisticated Brut with emphasis on the nutty tones and mature peach. The wine succeeds in this regard but the whole point of Prosecco is to be light and fun; this ultimately lacks those sharp, well-defined fruit tones you might expect.——M.L.(12/15/2007)—— 87