A classic sparkling blend of 85% Pinot Nero and 15% Chardonnay, the 2017 Alta Langa Metodo Classico Oudeis Brut is tonic and clean with a brightly intense bouquet. The wine shows citrus, crushed stone or aspirin, with some dried sage and apricot on the close. This Alta Langa sparkler ages on the lees for 36 months and shows hints of baked bread or almond breakfast pastry. This wine makes a delightful preface to the heavier reds of Piedmont in Northern Italy. Production is an ample 80,000 bottles.

This is another fun wine in a long list of Classic Method sparkling wines from Alta Langa (north of Barolo and Barbaresco). The Enrico Serafino 2016 Alta Langa Metodo Classico Oudeis Brut offers a rich and fleshy expression with lots of orchard fruit, Golden Delicious apple and toasted pine nut. This sparkling wine, made with 85% Pinot Nero and 15% Chardonnay, reaches just the right level of intensity with generous texture that is never too heavy or flat. The wine's determined energy is its most compelling aspect. It ages on the lees for 36 months. Some 80,000 bottles were released.