2009 Silvano Follador "Dosaggio Zero" Prosecco

I'm a huge fan of this Prosecco! I love its nose of fresh fruit with hints of almond cookie, its Champagne-like combo of breadth and focus on the palate, and dry, laser-like finish. Delicious on its own or in between bites of cured meats, olives, and other tasty bites. Prosecco for Champagne-lovers.

I was lucky enough to visit this estate a year or so ago and tasted this wine when it was still in tank. Theoretically, a non dosage Prosecco sounds like a bad idea, as I think most producers would end up with a somewhat tart, shrill bottling, lacking the inherent enjoyable qualities of Prosecco. But the vineyard holdings of Silvano Follador and their expertise in the cellar mean they knock this one out of the park. All the pretty peachy, apricot, white flower and citrus notes one would expect are there on the nose, but on the palate instead of a slightly off dry soft fruitiness, one finds a racy minerality, significant fruit extract and palate wieght balanced by a squeaky clean acidity, with overall excellent balance and great length on the finish. It's no wonder the geeky sommelier set in Italy, from Venice to Milan to Rome and all points in between, consider Silvano Follador in a league of it's own. Lovely as an aperitif, or with lighter far such as grilled peaches over a bed of frisee. CM