Our Score: 92
Perlé is one of the best Metodo Classico wines in the world (Champagne included) when it comes to quality-price ratio. It is made with organic Chardonnay, the color is straw-yellow with golden hues, and the bubbles are very fine and persistent. On the nose it is complex with ripe apples and peach, flowers, wet granite, and yeasty bread. On the palate it is round and fresh at the same time, with its almond finish making it interesting till the end. It is one of the few wines I consider excellent both for everyday and for special occasions—including my two sons’ weddings!About Ferrari: More than 100 years ago, the founder, Giulio Ferrari, went to visit the Champagne region to buy from Bollinger for his own consumption. He discovered that Chardonnay grows so well in the chalky soil that is typical of both Champagne and the Trento mountains that he decided to plant Chardonnay and start producing his own sparkling wine with the same grape and the same method of Champagne (with a second fermentation in the bottle). The ambition was clear: to compete with the best French Champagne. A century later, his successors, the Lunelli brothers and sister, are leaders in the Italian production of Metodo Classico, and they recently transformed their farming practices to be organic.
Grape: Chardonnay
Pairing: Oysters, uni (sea urchin), seafood pasta, grilled fish, and also white meats.
Appellation: Trento DOC, Italy