Montetondo Lessini Durello Riserva Metodo Classico Zero Dosaggio 2020

Ciao, ciao! We're heading to the north of Italy today, and you won't want to miss this. Nestled into the rolling hills of Soave, not far from Verona, the Magnabosco family farms grapes on a gentle slope overlooking the valley. Gino Magnabosco runs the show today, following the path his father paved when he founded Monte Tondo in 1979, building on an already-successful run of crafting aromatic, immaculate, and fresh wines from the region's local grapes. With a deep connection to tradition, the family simultaneously explores new winemaking technology to craft the purest-quality wines possible. Gino's daughter, Marta, helps with both the winemaking and the hospitality today, welcoming guests into her famiglia with warmth, gusto, and a great glass of wine.

To make this Champagne-method sparkler from the best of the best fruit, the family harvests grapes grown in the Lessini Mountains near Cogollo di Tregnago, where mineral-dense, volcanic soils reinforce the grapes' strong acidity. A hand harvest in early September precedes a soft pressing and first fermentation in temperature-controlled tanks, followed a few months later by a second fermentation in bottle with native yeasts. Aging on the lees then takes place for a minimum of 30 months – yielding an exquisite finished wine that almost never leaves Europe. You may have already heard, but it was Marta who first coined the phrase "Last Bubbles" at a tasting some years back. We snagged the domain on the spot, and it's no exaggeration to say that Last Bubbles wouldn't exist without Monte Tondo!

As if we needed an excuse to love this bubbly even more. This is all 2020-vintage fruit and 100% Durello – a brilliant, golden local varietal prized for its high acidity, medium body, and almost saline minerality. The prolonged development in bottle yields a mousse and bead very near Champagne in style, but with a distinctive flavor profile all its own. Expect pretty aromas and flavors of honeysuckle, candied ginger, and star jasmine, underpinned by notes of plum tart, unripe melon, white peach, and flecks of granite river rock. A lingering effervescence carries across the palate, with a pleasant structure and an exotic phenolic bite on the finish. Bone-dry, the wine is weighty yet balanced – and the zero dosage keeps everything bright and zesty.

At $38, this bubbly is a real treat you won't find elsewhere in the States. To have it at over 40% off the $65 retail… well, that makes for something you simply cannot miss!