The meeting of two diametrically opposed ideas might well result in an excellent, territorial, highly drinkable sparkling wine: in this case, in fact, it resulted in the Masetto Privè Trentodoc 2008, from the Endrizzi winery in Trentino. Before we start our tasting though, we should take a step back in time by 130 years.
San Michele all’Adige has always been Trentino’s most important winemaking center. It was the Abbey’s Benedictine monks who promoted vine cultivation in medieval times and tended to the vineyards now partially owned by the Endrizzi family.
In 1885 the area came to be owned by the Endrici (formerly “de Endrici” or “Endrizzi” in the local dialect). In the early 20th century, Francesco and Angelo Endrici introduced Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to the estate, while still making good use of the local varieties of Teroldego and Lagrein.
The fourth generation is represented by their descendant Paolo and his wife Christine, an architect of German origin. Their different cultural backgrounds enrich each other and have led, in the last twenty years, to the creation of several excellent bottles of wine. Today the next generation, that is, their children Lisa Maria and Daniele Endrici, is poised to take the reins of the operation.
There’s a sort of feminine touch in the most recent and captivating Endrizzi sparkling. It was Christine in particular who wanted a wine with fine, elegant bubbles, but most of all, it had to be “warm”. And that’s specifically what she asked of her oenologist Vito Piffer. In her own words: “Paolo and I are neither wine technicians or oenologists, but we still want our wines to represent our ideas, our terroir and our philosophy, even if it means swimming against the tide!”.
So you see, Christine’s “warm wine” idea gave Pfiffer the right pointers on how the wine was supposed to be! Don’t you think that’s a wonderful meeting of ideas?
Their perseverance and will to experiment with newness and quality led them to create a very long-lived sparkling wine. They named it Masetto Privé: only 1500 bottles produced, 100% Chardonnay, from grapes harvested at altitudes ranging from 400 to 800 meters above sea level. The basic idea was to create a Trentodoc where the classic sparkling wine base, mineral and fresh, meets a base derived from riper grapes, resulting in a product rich in quality, structure and freshness.
Here are my tasting notes on the Masetto Privè 2008 Trento Doc. This bubbly wine has been aged on its lees for 84 months before disgorging (degorgement). Its color is a bright, golden yellow, its perlage soft and persistent. The aromas are evolved, intense, fine and delicate, of rock water, elderberry, tropical fruit such as pink grapefruit and papaya, followed by white chocolate and a winding trail of citrus fruit and green apple. The term “fragrance” seems appropriate here. The taste is enveloping, graceful, savory, balanced, soft and fresh. Light as a feather, it’s very pleasant to drink. Despite its nine years since the harvest and its undeniable longevity, it’s still very fresh.
Some technical data: the must derived from pressing is fermented without being decanted, partly in small French oak and Hungarian acacia barrels, and partly in steel tanks. After undergoing battonage every week until the end of December, the sparkling base is then aged in wood and steel until the end of June. Only then is the cuveè assembled and the riddling process initiated. Aging on its lees (sur lies) is then carried on for a minimum of 7 years. Zero dosage: no liqueur d’expédition added.
Retail price: € 70; $ 78. My rating: 91/100
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