In the Italian wine scene, a new star shines brighter than ever: it is the Bagnadore Rosé by Barone Pizzini which in its first vintage, 2011, has reached a historic milestone, approaching absolute perfection with 98 points out of 100 awarded by James Suckling, one of the most famous international critics. This result marks an authentic absolute record for Italian wine, both Metodo Classico and Franciacorta, which have never before reached such heights of excellence in this important guide.
“2011 is the best vintage since my adventure in the world of wine began, in 1994,” explains Silvano Brescianini, CEO of Barone Pizzini, “and when we understood the real possibility of making an extraordinary bottle, any concern about the continuity of subsequent vintages was overcome by the firm decision to create a special Reserve even though it was unplanned. At this point, no one should be offended if the next one will only be 2020.”
This is the genesis that gave birth to the first edition of the new Bagnadore, a rosé version of the historic Riserva from Barone Pizzini, which is described by Suckling as “one of the best Franciacortas in the best vintage ever for the denomination. Wonderful to drink now, but with great potential for the long term”.
How Bagnadore Rosè 2011 Barone Pizzini was born: never a Franciacorta so high for James Suckling
Born from an intuition of the entrepreneur Pierjacomo Ghitti who, at the head of a group of friends, took over the company from the nobles of Trentino in 1993, Bagnadore, which takes its name from a stream that flows down from the hills of Marone and flows into Lake Iseo, was a wine strongly desired by the founder.
“It was in fact Pierjacomo Ghitti who said he wanted a bottle with the name of Ghitti di Bagnadore and the related logo, also indicating the formula: Pinot Nero, barrique and Pas Dosé”, says Silvano Brescianini, specifying: “Something that was not a given 30 years ago. If today, in fact, Pinot Nero represents 15% of the vineyard area of Franciacorta, at the time it perhaps did not reach 5%”.
Obtained from only Pinot Nero, Bagnadore Rosé comes from both the Roccolo vineyard and the nearby one called Gremoni (Provaglio). Soft pressing, cold maceration of the whole grapes, fractionation of the musts, fermentation in barriques and then always in small French woods for a maturation of eight months. After the second fermentation it rests, now in the bottle, on the lees for 128 long months (over 10 years). These are the salient steps of a wine that in both its versions perfectly interprets the philosophy of a company that offers rigorous expressions of the territory, particularly vertical in aromas and on the palate.
Just over 6 thousand bottles produced, of which only 4 thousand will be “sampled” on the market since for the next vintage of Bagnadore Rosé it will be necessary to wait several more years: “Every future choice will be the result exclusively of a single criterion: exceptional quality. An indispensable prerequisite, but precious to underline how Franciacorta is also the land of successful rosés”, concludes Silvano Brescianini, pleased.
