Winemaker Sandro de Bruno smells the rocks that come from under the durella vineyards.
We kicked off the sparkling wine season with a VeroTalk live from Veneto, Italy with the Sandro de Bruno estate winery. Owner and winemaker Sandro, who makes champagne style wines with the native durella grape on volcanic soil, joined us, along with moderator LadySomm Roxanne Langer who led the talk and winetasting.
Sandro’s traditional Champenoise method Durello sparkling wines garnered 95 points by Wine Enthusiast, and we just imported them, first time to the US!
Here’s what we tasted:
Sandro de Bruno | Lessini Durello 36 Months | Champagne Method Sparkling Wine
Sandro de Bruno | Lessini Durello 60 Months | Vintage Riserva Champagne Method Sparkling Wine
Start this holiday season off with a pop and sparkle, all while discovering this unique grape, durella, and the delicious wines it creates when in the masterful hands of Sandro!
Buy the wines to taste along with Sandro, Roxanne, and us as you watch the recording.
Get the wines to taste with us
With a persistent perlage, a bright gold color lights up the glass as complex exotic fruits and citrus aromas burst forth. Tasting, it is a dry wine with a delicate balance of acidity and sapidity keep you sipping and enjoying until the last drop.
The volcanic soil of the Sandro de Bruno vineyards lend well to this ancient, yet up and coming grape known as Durella. With a thick skin rich in polyphenols, they expertly craft this grape in a sparkling wine using a classic Champagne method. A zero dosage, for 36 months the wine rests on the lees before dégorgement and it then rests again.
It is markedly less intense than its 60 month aged and 100 month aged counterparts, creating a great entry point to the durello grape. You can try all three of these wines for yourself in the Durello Flight Set!
Tastes Like: Limes and Green Apples
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Sustainable Winery | Volcanic Soil | Bottle Fermented | Champagne Style
Fun Facts: - “Linear and polished” is how Kerin O’Keefe in this Wine Enthusiast review describes this 95 point wine.
This Extra Brut Champagne style sparkling wine captivates the senses with complex flavors of lemons, delicate caramel, and underlying notes of apple, stone, and citrus pith.
It is a full-bodied sparkling wine, with a deep golden color and a marked minerality of flint and sapidity. The thick-skinned Durella grape thrives with long aging, and this wine’s 60-month on the lees aging delivers a fine, persistent perlage and a beautifully creamy texture on the palate.
It is markedly more intense than its 36 month aged counterpart, but less so than the 100 month aged counterpart, cutting a nice middle road between the two. You can try all three of these wines for yourself in the Durello Flight Set!
Tastes Like: Lemon cake and lemon pith
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Sustainable Winery | Volcanic Soil | Bottle Fermented | Champagne Style
Fun Facts: - As noted by Kerin O'Keefe of Wine Enthusiast for a past vintage, this wine presents a "smooth dry and delicious" profile with a bright acidity, resulting in a persistent and evolving experience with every sip.
- Crafted by the winemaker of Sandro de Bruno on high-altitude volcanic soils, near the romantic city of Verona.