Good luck finding a 97-pointer VINTAGE Champagne for this little money.

With Franciacorta, we’re talking about a doppelganger that threatens the queen of bubbles’ throne.

Here’s a blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir from the estate vineyards of Arzelle, Rovere, San Carlo, and Ragnoli, this gem features only the finest lots of base wine, all matured in oak for 6 months on the lees, followed by maturation in bottle, also on the lees, for at LEAST 5 YEARS! And with no dosage added, hence the heralded ‘Dosaggio Zero’ designation.

Wine Enthusiast explains it well. “If there’s a wine gem that’s just waiting to be widely discovered, it’s Franciacorta. A world-class metodo classico, or bottle-fermented, sparkler, it boasts pedigree and style, yet remains largely unknown outside of Italy… For years, Franciacorta has been compared to Champagne, because the two wines use the same bottle-fermentation method and primary grape varieties—but the comparisons end there. The best Franciacortas have their own identity.”

While Prosecco remains the most famous of Italian sparklers, it’s obviously inferior as Decanter explains “At the beginning of the 1960s, Franciacorta was just a twinkle in the eye of Italian producers looking on at Champagne’s enduring success. Sixty years later, it has arguably become the most successful metodo classico appellation in Italy and is slowly gaining an international audience. Success for Franciacorta should be measured differently to success for Prosecco – which is by far Italy’s most popular sparkling wine. Production of the former is tiny in comparison, although Franciacorta is in fact far ahead of other metodo classico wines…”

And we revert to Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate to single out Berlucchi as the modern-day superstar of this insiders’ find style: “Among the various holdings of Guido Berlucchi is the stunning Renaissance Palazzo Lana with frescoed ceilings, grey stone trimming and open spaces that are drenched in sunlight. This remarkable piece of architecture is the inspiration for the Palazzo Lana line of sparkling wines introduced with the 2004 vintage. Guido Berlucchi (the man) and his friends Franco Ziliani and Giorgio Lanciani invented the concept of Franciacorta sparkling wine in 1954. Today, the company is managed by Franco Ziliani’s children Cristina, Arturo and Paolo.”

Sadly, not much is imported; finders’ keepers!

97 Points – Decanter World Wine Awards “Compelling citrus and ripe apple aromatics with effusive fresh florals on the fringes. Deftly proportioned with a generous core of creamy, savoury texture underpinned by the refined effervescence and crisp zing of acidity. Long and impressive.”