Greetings, Casemateers! We were fortunate enough to be selected as labrats for this offer. We had a brief scare from UPS to start things off. Seeing the dreaded ‘delayed’ icon in tracking struck fear into our hearts, perhaps only slightly less frightening than the Microsoft blue screen of death. Fortunately, the package magically escaped whatever evil fate awaited it and found its way to our house just in time for this report.
I was joined by SWMBO in the tasting. We are both fans of sparkling wine but have minimal experience with Procecco. We tend to gravitate toward domestic sparklers and Champagne, but were eager to sample this.
The wine was a cloudy, pale yellow. I now see it is unfiltered which makes a lot of sense. The initial pour revealed a moderate amount of mousse which quickly dissipated.
I was unfamiliar with the designation of ‘frizzante,’ which I later learned was semi-sparkling. Based on this, I was expecting a very light fizz, but was surprised to find it wasn’t far off from a traditional sparkler in that fashion.
It took a few minutes for aromas to emerge. We both got citrus notes that later came into focus as lemon. There was also a sweetness on the nose, giving us the impression of lemonade. I think we were expecting a fruity, jolly rancher lemon experience with a good deal of dosage.
It only took one sip for us to realize how wrong we were. While the lemon note persisted, the wine was bone dry. I now see (and believe) that this is a zero dosage sparkler. Fruit was present but did not add the perception of sweetness. The wine had good acid, which was perhaps the most dominant note overall.
This was an intriguing wine. We were expecting a party sparkler and found something a bit more austere. If zero dosage Champagne is in your wheelhouse, this is definitely worth checking out. In our case, we usually prefer them with food and decided we really wanted to try this tomorrow with a meal so stay tuned. In the meantime I’m happy to answer any questions.
Thanks to Alice and WD for allowing us to participate in the labrat program, one of the best concepts in the wine business!
I was excited to try this bubbly and by and large, my experiences mirror @hscottk .
The color in the bottle is a very cloudy orange/yellow with a lot of lees sediment at the bottom. We’ll touch on that in a bit.
On the nose it’s i get dried flowers, a little orange melon, and PLENTY of yeastiness.
For taste, i actually enjoyed it more at a very light chill than straight out of the fridge. I find that i enjoy most whites just a touch colder than cellar, so the “Serve Cold” recommendation on the back label isn’t required.
As mentioned, it’s quite acidic but not tart. The product docs say “tangerine” and that isn’t too far off. A little more lemony than orange, however. A very pleasant mouthfeel. It doesn’t have a lot of prickliness from the bubbles, and this had just enough to coat the bottom of the fancy Casemates stemless that was included, but i didn’t get a lot of rising mousse.
However, and this brings me back to the sediment portion. It does have a lot, so you’re gonna want to pour slowly and softly lest you get a glass of croaked yeast.
My wife REALLY enjoyed this – said it would be great with BBQ on the porch. Yeah – the zippiness would cut a sweeter sauce if you’re into that, and the structure would also pair with some smoke.
I’m going to aim for some grilled fish tacos for lunch and finish the rest of the bottle with those! Cheers!
Update: this went really well with food (sushi) as I expected. And the fruit was more pronounced on day 2. @radiolosis was spot on with letting this warm to above fridge temp. All in all, a very solid zero dosage sparkler that was better on day 2 with a more balanced profile. Cheers!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Blancjat Glera Frizzante Prosecco “Sur Lie” - $57 = 24.56%
2021 Blancjat Glera IGT Venezia Giulia Frizzante Unfiltered Prosecco
91 Points ~Luca Maroni
Tasting Notes
Pale straw yellow, naturally veiled. At nose, fragrant scents of rennet apple and pear with a light hint of acacia flowers. On the palate, silky tanginess with an excellent acidity.
Hand picking of the grapes; destemming and soft crushing; vinification in white; first fermentation in stainless steel vats, natural refermentation in bottle according to the “ancestral method”. Unfiltered.
Perfect with the whole meal for the pleasantness of its fine perlage. Excellent with dishes based on fish and white meat. To be enjoyed with pizza and appetizers. Serve at 8-10 °C
12x 2021 Blancjat Glera IGT Venezia Giulia Frizzante Unfiltered Prosecco
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $360/case MSRP
About The Winery
Winery: Lea Winery
Location: San Vito al Tagliamento (PN)
Lea Winery was born from an ambitious idea: To become the largest producer of natural wines in Italy. The estate is accomplishing this goal, and today, they’re not only one of the largest natural wineries in the country but have also achieved the highest quality in their wines, which are accompanied by numerous accolades and several 90+ awards.
Blancjat is one of the most distinctive brands of Lea Winery, this estate is the family’s dream to restore an old and big property called Cas Bianca. The winery covers almost 326 acres planted with white grapes like Pinot Grigio, Ribolla Gialla, Glera, Chardonnay, and Friulano, and the vineyard is located in the Friuli Grave appellation, stretching from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea, primarily around the plains of the River Tagliamento. The landscape, the terroir, the weather, and the winery itself it’s out of this world, and the perfect place to grow vines and produce wines, the vineyard is sheltered by mountains, with a climate influenced by its proximity to the sea, and pebbly, alluvial soils with significant sandy, stony deposits.
Blancjat’s approach is simple, sustainably it’s at the center of every operation. They declare, “we believe in healthy soils, in natural goodness, in renewable energy. We believe in everyone’s right to quality, in facts over words.”
The winery is 100% sustainable, from the vineyard to the cellar. In the vineyard, they’re certified with the SQNPI (Integrated Crop Management National Quality System) which guarantees that the vineyard is controlled with organic practices and low environmental impact.
The cellar is equipped with modern, state-of-the-art technology and the same sustainability and high-quality principles that go to the vineyard apply here. Some practices are the extremely reduced addition of sulfites, and quality control assured by using the latest technology for product traceability.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Greetings, Casemateers! We were fortunate enough to be selected as labrats for this offer. We had a brief scare from UPS to start things off. Seeing the dreaded ‘delayed’ icon in tracking struck fear into our hearts, perhaps only slightly less frightening than the Microsoft blue screen of death. Fortunately, the package magically escaped whatever evil fate awaited it and found its way to our house just in time for this report.
I was joined by SWMBO in the tasting. We are both fans of sparkling wine but have minimal experience with Procecco. We tend to gravitate toward domestic sparklers and Champagne, but were eager to sample this.
The wine was a cloudy, pale yellow. I now see it is unfiltered which makes a lot of sense. The initial pour revealed a moderate amount of mousse which quickly dissipated.
I was unfamiliar with the designation of ‘frizzante,’ which I later learned was semi-sparkling. Based on this, I was expecting a very light fizz, but was surprised to find it wasn’t far off from a traditional sparkler in that fashion.
It took a few minutes for aromas to emerge. We both got citrus notes that later came into focus as lemon. There was also a sweetness on the nose, giving us the impression of lemonade. I think we were expecting a fruity, jolly rancher lemon experience with a good deal of dosage.
It only took one sip for us to realize how wrong we were. While the lemon note persisted, the wine was bone dry. I now see (and believe) that this is a zero dosage sparkler. Fruit was present but did not add the perception of sweetness. The wine had good acid, which was perhaps the most dominant note overall.
This was an intriguing wine. We were expecting a party sparkler and found something a bit more austere. If zero dosage Champagne is in your wheelhouse, this is definitely worth checking out. In our case, we usually prefer them with food and decided we really wanted to try this tomorrow with a meal so stay tuned. In the meantime I’m happy to answer any questions.
Thanks to Alice and WD for allowing us to participate in the labrat program, one of the best concepts in the wine business!
@hscottk
Maybe it’s just the perspective of your photos, but that bottle looks awfully small; are these 375s or 750s?
@pseudogourmet98 Definitely a 750.
@pseudogourmet98
Some strange Friday offers lately
Good day everyone!
I was excited to try this bubbly and by and large, my experiences mirror @hscottk .
The color in the bottle is a very cloudy orange/yellow with a lot of lees sediment at the bottom. We’ll touch on that in a bit.
On the nose it’s i get dried flowers, a little orange melon, and PLENTY of yeastiness.
For taste, i actually enjoyed it more at a very light chill than straight out of the fridge. I find that i enjoy most whites just a touch colder than cellar, so the “Serve Cold” recommendation on the back label isn’t required.
As mentioned, it’s quite acidic but not tart. The product docs say “tangerine” and that isn’t too far off. A little more lemony than orange, however. A very pleasant mouthfeel. It doesn’t have a lot of prickliness from the bubbles, and this had just enough to coat the bottom of the fancy Casemates stemless that was included, but i didn’t get a lot of rising mousse.
However, and this brings me back to the sediment portion. It does have a lot, so you’re gonna want to pour slowly and softly lest you get a glass of croaked yeast.
My wife REALLY enjoyed this – said it would be great with BBQ on the porch. Yeah – the zippiness would cut a sweeter sauce if you’re into that, and the structure would also pair with some smoke.
I’m going to aim for some grilled fish tacos for lunch and finish the rest of the bottle with those! Cheers!
Update: this went really well with food (sushi) as I expected. And the fruit was more pronounced on day 2. @radiolosis was spot on with letting this warm to above fridge temp. All in all, a very solid zero dosage sparkler that was better on day 2 with a more balanced profile. Cheers!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Blancjat Glera Frizzante Prosecco “Sur Lie” - $57 = 24.56%
2021 Blancjat Glera IGT Venezia Giulia Frizzante Unfiltered Prosecco
91 Points ~Luca Maroni
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $360/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Tuesday, Jun 20
2021 Blancjat Glera Frizzante Prosecco “Sur Lie”
3 bottles for $57.99 $19.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $174.99 $14.58/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
In for three, based on the rats.
/giphy muddy-very-lamp