Carpenè Malvolti: A New Wine and More

Carpenè Malvolti is one of the largest producers of Prosecco, and when I stop in a supermarket to pick up a bottle of light, young, zesty bubbly I often emerge with their basic Prosecco di Conegliano Extra Dry, which goes down nicely and is nicely priced. But they make many other wines as well, and have been introducing impressive new wines at the rate of one per year for a while now. Last year it was Viognier, and this year it's something called Cserszegi, which we'll get to presently. To begin, however:

Carpenè Malvolti Prosecco Brut 2008
Pale brassy yellow with hints of pink, and fine perlage. The bouquet us fresh, with tart apples and clean spice; the impression is direct and quite welcoming. On the palate it's fresh and full, with pleasant apple fruit supported by golden delicious acidity and sparkle that flows into a clean fresh finish. Good, in a simple key, and will drink nicely as an aperitif or with foods, especially cold cuts and other picnic fare.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti Extra Dry 2008
Pale brassy white with fine perlage. The bouquet is fairly rich, with apple fruit supported by some greenish accents and deft, sweetness. Appealing. On the palate it's ample, and rich, with fairly sweet apple fruit supported by peppery notes from acidity and sparkle, and clean slightly bitter apple accents that flow into a fairly tart finish. Pleasant in a quite approachable key, and will work well as an aperitif or at poolside. Expect it to go quickly.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti Prosecco Cuvée Oro Dry 2008
Pale brassy white with fine intense perlage. The bouquet is fairly rich, with delicious and Granny Smith apples mingled with tart crisp apple acidity and pleasing airy hints of sweetness. On the palate it's full, with failry rich delicious apple fruit supported by apple acidity and slight savory accents, while the finish gains depth from hints of apple bitterness. Quite nice, and will work well as an aperitif or far from the meal. Expect it to go quickly.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti Cserszegi 2008
This is a new wine: it's produced from Cserszegi, a Hungarian varietal developed in the late 1940s by Karoly Bakonyi , who crossbred Israi Oliver and Traminer Rosso with the goal of obtaining grapes well suited to the climate, that would ripen early, and have good sugar levels and aromatic potentials. The vineyards are on the banks of the Danube, and Carpenè is the first to produce a sparkling version, through the Charmat method. The wine is pale brassy yellow with fine persistent perlage, and has a fairly rich greenish nose mingled with some bitterness, cut flowers, and some savory spice. On the palate it's full and rich, with clean bright slightly sour minerality supported by sparkle and smooth warm citric acidity that flows into a clean apple laced finish with savory accents. Pleasant, and quite welcoming, with greater depth than the Prosecco. It will work quite well as an aperitif, and also be nice to drink at table, with fish or meat-based dishes.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti Kerner 2008
Pale brassy white with fine intense perlage. The bouquet is rich, and elegant, with floral accents and spice mingled with some vegetal notes and minerality. Considerable depth and very pleasant to sniff. On the palate it's it's full, with rich slightly bitter minerality supported by clean bright sparkle that confers creaminess, and by deft acidity that flows into a clean fairly rich slightly bitter finish. Very pleasant, and will drink beautifully as an aperitif.
90-91

Carpenè Malvolti Viognier 2008
Pale brassy yellow with intense perlage. Bright bouquet, with rich citric accents mingled with greenish notes and hints of savory heather. A lot going on in a slightly more muscular key than some of the others. On the palate it's bright, with deft minerality supported by clean fresh creaminess from sparkle, and by fairly deft acidity that flows into a clean bright finish. Quite pleasant, and will drink very well with foods or as an aperitif.
88-90

Carpenè Malvolti Rosè Brut
Pale salmon with lively pinkish perlage. The bouquet is fresh, with some berry fruit supported by acidity and savory accents. Delicate. On the palate it's full, with fairly rich mineral laced berry fruit supported by acidity and clean greenish bitterness that flows into the finish. Pleasant, and will work well as an aperitif though it has quite enough body to work well at the table too, with richer grilled fish, white meats, and also with flavorful cheeses. In short, versatile.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti Metodo Classico 2005
Lively brassy gold with brassy reflections and fine intense perlage. The bouquet is fairly intense, with deft acidity and bread crumbs mingled with some greenish vegetal accents and slight butterscotch. Nice balance. On the palate it's full, with fairly rich savory minerality supported by sparkle and slight greenish bitterness that flows into a clean peppery finish. Deft, and though I would have liked a little more acidity, it is pleasant, and will work well as an aperitif, or with fish, including crustaceans.
2 stars