Alta Langa DOCG Metodo Classico Extra Brut Pas Dosé 2019 - Tenute Rade

In 1988, Raimondo Cusmano left the city and his Sicilian roots to pursue a dream in the Monferrato hills: to produce wine. Today, Tenute Rade boasts 50 hectares of vineyards in Piedmont, and Raimondo's passion is shared by his son Daniele – a family project that can be tasted in every bottle.

Alta Langa DOCG is the Piedmontese appellation for Metodo Classico par excellence – high-altitude vineyards, clay soils, and marked temperature variations that give the grapes a freshness and structural acidity difficult to find elsewhere. A terroir designed for fine, long-lived bubbles.

70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, harvested around mid-August in crates, gently and progressively pressed. The must ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel, then refines on its fine lees. The following spring, sugars and selected yeasts are added, and it is bottled for the secondary fermentation. So far, tradition. Then comes the difference: the bottles rest in contact with their yeasts for a minimum of 33 months – but this 2019 rested for a total of 67 months on the lees, almost six years. After this long rest, traditional manual riddling on pupitres clarifies the wine, concentrating the sediment in the neck. Then disgorgement, topping up with the same wine, and recorking. Zero dosage – no liqueur d'expédition, no correctives: just the wine, in its purest and most honest form.

In the glass, it presents a bright straw yellow color with golden reflections and a very fine and persistent perlage. On the nose, it is complex and layered: white flowers, bread crust, ripe citrus fruits, and a subtle note of dried fruit and pastry that speaks of the years spent on the lees. On the palate, it is dry, taut, and savory, with a vibrant freshness and a structure that supports everything leading to a long, mineral, and precise finish. A classic method that hides nothing.

For those who know the difference between a sparkling wine and a great wine with bubbles.

Recommended pairings: quality aperitif, raw seafood, oysters, fish carpaccio, saffron risotto, aged blue cheeses.