CONTRATTO RISERVA SPECIAL CUVEE PAS DOSE ALTA LANGA 2015 750ml

ABOUT THE WINE

Giuseppe Contratto founded his historic winery in 1867 in Canelli, Piedmont, Italy. He pioneered one of the first Italian sparkling wines by refermenting Moscato grapes in the bottle using the traditional method (Metodo Classico). The estate quickly gained prestige, exporting from around 1910 and becoming the official supplier to the Vatican, the Belgian royal house, and Italy’s House of Savoy. In 1919, Contratto released the country’s first vintage-dated Metodo Classico sparkling wine, the Extra Brut. Today, under the ownership of Giorgio Rivetti (La Spinetta), the winery focuses on elegant Alta Langa DOCG sparkling wines made primarily from estate-grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in high-altitude vineyards. These age in stunning UNESCO World Heritage “cathedral” cellars carved deep into the tuff limestone hills, maintaining perfect natural conditions for long lees aging. Contratto’s wines are renowned for their purity, complexity, structure, and finesse—true Italian classics with Champagne-like refinement.
Contratto Riserva Special Cuvée Pas Dosé Alta Langa DOCG Riserva 2015 750ml is a prestigious, long-aged (at least 90 months on lees with manual riddling) Metodo Classico sparkling wine from the historic Giuseppe Contratto winery (est. 1867, Canelli, Piedmont). This limited Riserva highlights the depth and complexity of high-altitude Alta Langa terroir. Blend: 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. Grapes come from Contratto’s certified organic estate vineyards in Bossolasco (Alta Langa), at 700–780 m asl. The cool, breezy climate and calcareous marl soils rich in calcium carbonate, silt, and white sand ensure slow ripening, delivering vibrant acidity, finesse, intense minerality, and elegant structure to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

TASTING NOTE:

Golden yellow with amber highlights and fine, creamy, persistent perlage. The nose reveals candied orange peel, aromatic herbs, bergamot, biscuits, lemon rind, toasted nuts, and dried pear. On the palate it is bone-dry, crisp, and zesty with savory minerality, toasted notes, subtle saltiness, and creamy texture. Fresh acidity leads to a long, elegant, biscuity finish.