The 2011 Le Vigne di Alice DOCG Extra Dry Prosecco is sourced from Glera grapes grown in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG (the area where the best Glera grapes are grown) of Italy. Le Vigne di Alice is a women owned and operated boutique winery and their motto is “Life is a Bubble”. This is a “extra dry” Bubbly which means it is a little on the sweet side, this is how they traditionally prefer their Prosecco in Italy, Americans tend to like their Bubbly to be “Brut” or dry, not sweet. The Le Vine di Alice Extra Dry is a small production, vintage Prosecco and they let the fermentation process (on lees) last longer (45 to 60 days) than the typical high volume, non vintage Prosecco. The bubbles are added during the second fermentation, which is the traditional Charmat process, where the bubbles occur in large stainless steel tanks. In many Prosecco’s, they add the bubbles as quickly as possible, bottle it and ship it out, here they take 50 days for the Charmat process to complete giving the wine a flurry of fine, tight bubbles. The alcohol content is 11.5%.
The color is faint, pale yellow, just the hint of color, with tons of tiny bubbles. The nose is fresh and clean, green apple, lemon/lime, juicy pear and a soft floral scent. The label says Extra Dry, but this is not a sweet wine. This is a Bubbly with balance, crisp acidity, a firm enticing slice of minerality, delicate green apple, lemons and lime, the Le Vigne di Alice is not about this flavor or that flavor, but about the total tasting experience. The finish if delicate and classy, long lasting and full.
The Le Vigne di Alice Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Dry Prosecco is world class Bubbly, elegant, delicious, expertly crafted, total wine drinking experience. Maybe a bit too ethereal and light to pair well with food, sipping this with special friends is the best way to enjoy these Bubbles. If life is actually a Bubble, and this is the Bubble they are talking about, then life is very good.
