Ultra-natural, gently sparkling Prosecco with a wonderfully yeasty mid-palate and a crisp, dry finish—this is not for Bellinis!

“Prosecco country” spreads across northeast Veneto and spills over into neighboring Friuli. Although the Dolomites loom in the near distance, vineyards in towns such as Valdobbiadene, Conegliano, and Treviso experience a somewhat warmer, Marine-influenced climate than Champagne. Soils are an amalgam of clay, limestone, marine sandstone, and glacial moraine.

Massimo Coletti is a fourth-generation winemaker who has amassed a very diverse resume in a short amount of time. Whereas his great-grandfather sold off his grapes to the local cooperative, Coletti (and his father before him) have focused on organic farming and small-lot production—including several bottlings in the traditional col fondo style (essentially an Italian answer to “pét-nat,” with visible yeast sediment in the bottle). The 2020 vintage marked Massimo’s first “official” vintage as the winemaker.

This wine carries a frizzante (“semi-sparkling”) designation, and it is made using the Charmat (“tank”) method. The fermentation of the base wine is carried out in stainless steel tanks on ambient yeasts, and the wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation. It only reaches 11% a.b.v., with residual sugar of 7 grams/liter.

Pale straw gold with yellow and green highlights, with aromas of underripe white peach, yellow apple, white flowers, wet stones, and rising bread dough. For those who’ve tried Prosecco before, this will likely be the driest, most mineral example you’ve encountered, with a pronounced yeasty quality due to the yeast sediment in the bottle. The effervescence is much gentler than that of a spumante (fully sparkling) style, thus the frizzante indication.