2015 Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore, Ferrari

• Style: Alpine Chardonnay Metodo Classico, bone-dry
• Taste: Citrus oils, menthol, white peach, grapefruit, orange blossom
• Food: Soft & creamy cheese; white fish; shellfish & crustacean
• Occasion: Aperitivo, celebration, cellar worthy
• Serve: Chilled, 12.5% ABV

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

A decade on the lees has softened the Alpine acidity into something rounded and silky, yet the wine remains crisp and alive. Golden-hued, it sings with citrus oils, menthol, and white peach — Mediterranean brightness tempered by mountain air. The lingering grapefruit and orange blossom suggests long, careful ageing rather than youth in a bottle.

The Winery — Ferrari

Giulio Ferrari, schooled in Champagne, returned in 1902 to plant Chardonnay on southwest-facing Dolomite slopes 600 metres above the Adige valley. The Lunelli family has stewarded the estate since 1952, maintaining rigorous tradition. Winemaker Cyril Brun, arrived from Aÿ in Champagne in 2023, brings fresh expertise to the house's Metodo Classico craft. The 2015 vintage — warm and dry — ripened high-hill Chardonnay to medium-plus richness without heaviness. Hand-harvested grapes underwent gentle pressing, stainless-steel fermentation, eight months of malolactic conversion, and secondary fermentation in bottle with house yeast culture.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This sparkling wine is bone-dry at 4.2g/L residual sugar and 12.5% ABV — refined and mineral. Serve chilled as an aperitif, or with baked white fish in cream sauce, shellfish, or butter-based risotto; the acidity cuts through richness without the wood-influenced heaviness of over-oaked styles. A masterpiece Chardonnay that rewards patience. It ranks among the finest Italy has produced, embodying why cool-climate mountain sites rival traditional homes of the style. Gift it, cellar it, or celebrate with it — this belongs in your glass if you've tired of obvious routes.