Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore 2006

The wine in this vintage

2006 is remembered in Trentino as an excellent vintage, with a warm summer and a favourable end of season that delivered healthy grapes with a fine balance of sugar and acidity. The result was a Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore 2006 among the most admired of its decade: Robert Parker awarded it 97 points and Decanter 94. Ripe white fruit, almond, brioche, acacia honey and a delicate mineral nuance stand out on the nose; the palate is broad and velvety, with silky bubbles and a long, saline finish. This is a sparkling wine of great charm, showing magnificently today and able to face several more years.

The producer · Ferrari

Founded in Trento in 1902 by Giulio Ferrari, the house that bears his name lies at the origin of Italy's great traditional-method sparkling wine tradition. Ferrari, who had trained in France, was the first to recognise Trentino's affinity for Chardonnay and for wines refermented in bottle. Having no heirs, in 1952 he sold the business to Bruno Lunelli, a Trentino wine merchant, whose children and grandchildren turned it into one of Europe's most prestigious sparkling wine houses while keeping it firmly family-run. The grapes come from the hills and valleys of Trentino, where altitude, wide temperature swings and mountain soils bring acidity and aromatic finesse. The estate has also committed firmly to sustainable viticulture. At the top of the range sits Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore, a pure Chardonnay from the Maso Pianizza vineyard aged for many years on its lees, regarded as one of Italy's greatest sparkling wines and able to defy time like few others.

Critics' scores

• 97 Robert Parker
• 94 Decanter
• 93 Wine Spectator

Technical details

Producer

Ferrari

Region

Trentino Alto Adige

Country

Italia

Type

Bollicine

Vintage

2006

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

94.7/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0800106