Nicola Gatta, Quattrocento Extra Brut NV - 75cl

Four hundred metres. That is what Quattrocento refers to — the height of Nicola Gatta's vines above the plain at Gussago, on limestone at the eastern edge of Franciacorta, where the nights stay cool enough to hold the acidity together through September.

Gatta works 5.5 hectares by biodynamic methods and bottles outside the local DOCG entirely. The appellation wanted a say in how he made his wine and he declined, so the label reads Vino Spumante. Chardonnay leads and Pinot Nero fills in behind. Fermentation starts on its own with the yeasts that came in on the fruit, nothing is filtered out afterwards, and no sulphur is added. Then forty moons on the lees before disgorgement, which is over three years by the calendar the rest of us use.

The result is drier and more savoury than most Italian traditional-method sparkling at this money. Green apple skin and lemon zest to begin with, then the lees show themselves as toasted brioche and a nutty, almost buttery weight, with chalk running underneath the whole thing. Extra Brut dosage keeps the finish tight. It behaves more like a white wine than a party bottle.

How to Serve

9°C, in a proper white wine glass. Straight from the fridge into a flute and you will taste about half of it. Ease the cork out rather than popping it — this is not a wine that wants a bang. Anything left after an hour will have opened out, not faded.

Where to Drink It

Bentley's, at the marble counter, with a dozen natives in front of you. Dandy on Maltby Street for something scrappier. Bar Lotus if you want to drink well without much of a plan.

Food Pairings

Risotto alla Milanese: saffron, bone marrow, a great deal of butter. Lombardy dish, Lombardy wine, and the bubbles cut straight through marrow richness that would flatten a still white. Fried artichokes work too.