Tenuta Mosole Sergio di Mosole Lucio - Mosole, Prosecco Rosé Brut (2022)

TASTING NOTES

The wine is deep pink with a slight red hue. It has a fine and persistent mousse and a delicate and fruity nose with notes of red berries and summer flowers. The palate is fresh and elegant with a a lovely, lengthy finish.

While sparkling rosé production is not new in the region, it was only allowed under the DOC rules in 2020 and so we are just starting to see the first rosés hitting the shelves now. Typically drier than white counterparts, the wines have to include a minimum of 85% Glera (the grape synonymous with Prosecco production) and the remainder, Pinot Nero.

Mosole presents a masterclass on typicity and varietally correct wines. Located in the Lison-Pramaggiore DOC, this is a unique region in that it comprises a significant proportion of the eastern Veneto - but straddles Friuli, too - and whose wine production predates Roman times. Tenuta Mosole’s 30 hectares of vines grow on calcium-rich clay, where, over the years, the changing courses of the rivers Livenza and Tagliamento have left behind old calcareous beds that contribute aromatic compounds and minerality to the wines. The estate is on the Venetian side of the region, just a stone’s throw west of the border with Friuli, located about 40 minutes northeast of Venice. Honouring the history of this territory, each Mosole wine features a local landmark from Venice and the surrounding area.

Lucio Mosole has revolutionized the wine-making process on his family estate, purchased in 1986, to achieve ever-higher standards using modern methods and a fresh approach to viticulture. Since 1992, almost the entire vineyard has been converted to Guyot vine-training. Progress is a byword for Lucio – he sees an opportunity for improvement in every aspect of the estate’s wine-making, from re-trellising old vines to acquiring the best barriques possible for aging his premium wines. To maintain purity, fermentation of aromatic varietals takes place in traditional glazed concrete tanks, while reserve wines are aged in a new cellar with space for 500 French oak barriques. Lucio works with the highly regarded consulting enologist, Gianni Menotti, famous for his work at Villa Russiz.

Typical of the region, Lucio grows a wide variety of grapes on his estate, including Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Lison (formerly Tocai Friulano), Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Refosco and Glera (Prosecco). This is further complicated by the number of clones used, for instance 6 Chardonnay (3 French/3 Italian), and his Merlot from Pomerol. In his Prosecco, proteins are managed to maintain an appealing layer of mousse in a glass of the finished wine. Cabernet Franc - called Cabernet in Veneto, and Cabernet Franc in Lison Pramaggiore - was thought for many years to be Carmenere and is still permitted to be labelled as such in the region.

Fun fact: When the EU ruled the wine name Tocai Friulano could no longer be used, out of fear people would confuse it with Hungary’s Tokay, the Italian regions known for producing the wine came up with their own new names for Tocai Friulano – Friulano in Fruili, Tai in Veneto, and Lison in Lison Pramaggiore. Oh yeah, the grape variety is still allowed to be called Tocai Friulano, just not the wine. Hardly confusing, right? Mosole produces both Lison and Tai, given their location straddling the regions.