Tasting Vintage Prosecco with Bisol & Villa Sandi

You will not be mistaken in thinking that Prosecco is produced to be enjoyed young, where its delightful, light and fruity / floral characters will delight you. Though, curiosity got the better of me several years back and I started to put aside Cartizze Dry from Bisol and the Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Millesimato Brut from Villa Sandi. My curiosity was to see both how the wines evolved in the bottle and if there was any flavour / aroma benefit in aging.

An experimentation over something we are guiding you to do, we aged Prosecco labels from both the wineries of Bisol (https://bisol.it/bisol/en/) and Villa Sandi (https://www.villasandi.it/en/) as we are very familiar with each and their quality has always been exceptional – We also chose our favourite labels from each winery with a mid to plus sugar level.

Each vertical tasting starts from the newest vintage down to the oldest and finished with tasting notes of the current release so to compare:

 

2019 Villa Sandi Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Millesimato Brut – “Quick fade of bubbles. Honeysuckle on the nose, rounded. Ripe juicy fruits, dried fruits, along with prune juice. Flavours are quick to fade, characters in palate similar to aromas, but not enough presence.”

2018 Villa Sandi Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Millesimato Brut – “Good pressure behind cork still. Lighter colour. Bubbles are quick to fade, so it appears like a still wine. Not as expressive on the nose compared to the 2019. Yellow floral, citrus, dried yellow stone fruits on the nose. Fizzy in the palate surprisingly, better flavour balance compared to the 2019. Smooth, elegant, not overly powerful.”

@glassofbubbly Tasting vintage #Prosecco with #Bisol and @Villa Sandi ♬ original sound – Glass of Bubbly

2017 Villa Sandi Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Millesimato Brut – “Seven years or so in the bottle / on cork. Good amount of pressure still behind the cork. Consistency in colour on each sample tried so far, a tint of yellow. Aromas of yellow stone fruits, honeycomb, honeysuckle on the nose, a good aromatic creamy sensation. Smooth though again suffering again in the length. A bombardment of silky yellow fruits initially, then it is a fast fade. Not as good flavour wise compared to the two previous years tasted – A disappointing ending almost bitter.”

2015 Villa Sandi Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Millesimato Brut – “Again, good pressure behind the cork. A big dollop of cream on the nose with lightly toasted bread and white cheese along with a peach puree / Danish pastry. Quite a lot of aroma characters. It’s a rollercoaster in the palate with a good consistency of creamy texture, citrus, pastry and silky fruits. A slight dip in mid palate though close improves. Nine years and more in the bottle so this performed excellently on this basis.”

Villa Sandi Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Millesimato Brut – AVERAGE CURRENT TASTING NOTES: “Plenty of floral and white fruits on the nose with a delicate citrus hint – Clear and fresh character. Flavours are rich and silky, refreshing and clean, showing the delights of freshly picked white fruits and silky floral. A smooth palate cleanse of fine bubbles.”

 

2021 Bisol Cartizze Dry – “Bubbles are there. A lighter yellow colouring. Light and fresh on the nose with white rose petals, white fruit flesh. Sweetness still very present, a sweet attack initially with a clean and clear, straight flavour character of white fruits and honey. Its sweetness does not feel unnatural.”

2020 Bisol Cartizze Dry – “Good pressure behind the cork. Same character on the nose to the 2021, touch of added tropical, crushed bruised green apple. Good bubbles in the palate, very refreshing. Not so heavy on the sweetness, this wine is better than the previous with white fruits, floral though terroir showing too with some chalk / stone showing. A very good length. Though only a year apart, there is a noticeable difference, more defined.”

2019 Bisol Cartizze Dry – “Good pressure behind the cork again. Darker shading to the wine, more towards gold with still decent fine bubbles present. Very nice on the nose with brioche, exotic fruits, dried apricot, dried peach slices, honey, honeysuckle. Exceptional layers of aromas. Flavours are rich with good effervescence in the palate – Fruit flavours, soft and silky floral. Mid palate onwards there is a speedy fade.”

2018 Bisol Cartizze Dry – “Decent pop, good pressure behind the cork. A warmer golden colouring, slightly less than the 2019, and plenty of bubbles. Nowhere as powerful on the nose as the 2019. Honeysuckle, dried yellow stone fruits and silky aromas, but at 50% less than before.

Bisol Cartizze Dry – AVERAGE CURRENT TASTING NOTES: “Light and fresh. A delight of white floral and white fruits, delicate. A soft, silky texture of almost chalk. Bubbles refreshing the palate with light floral, melon, lemon, honey, chalk.”

 

Bonus vertical tasting: We also started to collect the rosé Prosecco (DOC) and here below are four vintage labels from Villa Sandi so to explore the aging of this wine too:

2023 Villa Sandi Rosé Millesimato – “Slight copper colouring. Fresh on the nose with red berry fruits, white strawberries, zesty and pink floral – Silky in style though slightly lacking in real personality, it could be said to be ‘shy’. Soft strawberries, floral notes in the palate with a smooth, silky texture.”

2022 Villa Sandi Rosé Millesimato – “Plenty of pressure behind the cork. Still that timid, pale shade of rose with an orange tint. Nose is different to first with a light orange cake aroma. Good silky texture though a slight fatigue to the wine with soft expression on zesty red apple cider, some red berries.”

2021 Villa Sandi Rosé Millesimato – “Some orange tint, touch darker. More yeasty characters on the nose with orange peel, red berry fruits, candy, vanilla – expressive on the nose. Flavours do not hold well, they drop off all too quickly with raspberry, strawberry and even dark chocolate at the close.”

2020 Villa Sandi Rosé Millesimato – “So over four years in the bottle for this rosé Prosecco. Certainly plenty of pressure still behind the cork. Good bubbles in the glass with an ongoing strengthening orange tint to the wine. Apple characters on the nose with citrus, strawberry and good persistence – It’s aromas tell you it is aged, you are expecting something special. Flavours are sticky in texture in the palate, it’s more overripe fruits with a subtle pink floral edge, very pleasing. Does taste a touch tired, we have moved from fresh fruits to those fruits that have been left hanging on the tree after harvest. Decent length though close is a touch rapid. Certainly very interesting and a decent wine which would surprise many in a blond tasting to know it was an aged rosé Prosecco.”

2023 Villa Sandi Rosé Millesimato – AVERAGE CURRENT TASTING NOTES: “Light, fresh and silky. Freshly picked garden strawberries, pink blossom on the nose with a silky character. Flavours are more or less identical to the aromas and deliver a smooth and relaxing glass of Prosecco with delightful fresh strawberries and a silky pink floral / chalky texture.“