Severina Alta Bianca Extra Brut 2021, Matteo Correggia

This is Matteo Correggia in sparkling mode, and yes, Roero looks good in bubbles. Made from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero grown in the high hills of Alta Langa, this classic-method Extra Brut brings fine, persistent fizz with notes of lemon, green apple, white flowers, almond, and warm bread crust. The palate is crisp and energetic, but not severe; there’s enough leesy creaminess to keep the wine from feeling all elbows and acidity. It’s dry, lifted, and very food-friendly, the kind of bottle that works as an aperitif but really starts showing off with salty snacks, fried things, seafood, soft cheeses, or anything involving hazelnuts. Piedmont, naturally, would like you to remember the hazelnuts. About the Winery Matteo Correggia was a true visionary in Roero, Italy. He saw the potential of his land before many others and worked hard to put it on the map. Although Matteo passed away many years ago, his children and widow have taken over the family business, and his son, Giovanni, now runs the show! Roero is a small town to the north of the more famous Piedmont wine regions, Barolo and Barbaresco, but more importantly, it is on the other side of the Po river, and its soils are much younger. Even more importantly, those soils are loaded with sand. And seashells! When you come to the store, ask us about the seashells we saw when we visited this wonderful place in 2013. Sand has a tendency to bring out the aromatics of wine grapes, especially when compared with the clay soils of Barolo and Barbaresco. So even though the grapes grown in this commune are the same ones grown in other parts of northern Italy, their expression is more exuberant, and in our eyes, more enticing!