A Quick Look At Carpenè Malvolti

I have always enjoyed Carpenè Malvolti's wines, and make a point of stopping at their stand during Vinitaly to taste both their Prosecco and their Arte della Spumantistica wines, wines made form other grapes (and from other regions) that are quite interesting and quite enjoyable.

Carpenè Malvolti Prosecco Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG Cuvée Brut 2009
Pale brassy white with intense perlage. The bouquet is clean and fresh with cut green apples and some spice; it's quite rich and is also inviting. On the palate it's ample and soft, with rich granny smith apple fruit supported by crisp apple sweetness and deft granny smith acidity that flows into a clean bright apple finish. Pleasant and extremely approachable; it will be quite nice as an aperitif, especially with sweeter antipasti, and also to drink at poolside in the hot summer months. Expect it to go quickly, and you may need a second bottle.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti Prosecco Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Dry 2009
Pale brassy white with fine intense perlage. The bouquet is bright, with granny smith apple fruit mingled with some dried apple and clean apple spice and acidity. On the palate it's ample and soft, with moderate apple fruit supported by some dusky minerality and some acidity that flow into a clean slightly sour apple finish. It's a bit weaker than the Dry, with fruit that's less enticing, and considering that as a Prosecco it's a wine to be opened and drunk in a simple occasion or a party, it's a bit less interesting,
1 star

Carpenè Malvolti Prosecco Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG Cuvée Oro 2009
Pale brassy white with brilliant brassy reflections and fine intense perlage. The bouquet is fairly rich, with apple fruit laced with some minerality and delicate slightly sugary apples, granny smith in particular, and by airy spice. On the palate it's ample and soft, with fairly rich slightly bruised apple fruit supported by warm Delicious apple acidity and by the sparkle, which confers a creamy texture, and flows into a warm apple laced finish. Pleasant, and displays nice depth; if you like sparkling wines but don't like the brash aggressiveness that a Pinot-Noir based champagne can have, it is a good alternative, and will work well as an aperitif or with foods.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte della Spumantistica Rosè 2009
Pale salmon with fine perlage. The bouquet is moderately intense with slightly smoky red berry fruit supported by airiness and a degree of minerality as well, and airiness. On the palate it's fairly rich, with clean fairly bright red berry fruit supported by fairly bright acidity and by slight smooth sweet tannins that flow into a clean rather mineral finish with bitter underpinning. It's a pleasant rosé that will drink nicely as an aperitif, and will also work well with creamy fish or meat based risotti, and will also work well with simple creamy white meats or fish. In short, versatile.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte della Spumantistica Viognier 2009
Pale brassy gold with brilliant brassy reflections and fine perlage. The bouquet is fresh, with pleasant floral accents mingled with white berry fruit and some sweetish accents. Quite nice to sniff. On the palate it's ample and soft and fairly sweet, with rich creamy white berry fruit supported by moderately intense sour loquat acidity and sparkle, which flow into a clean bright finish that gains sour accents as the fruit and sparkle fade. Quite pleasant, and will drink nicely as an aperitif, and might, because of its relative sweetness, be a nice bet with oriental dishes, ranging from moderately intense Chinese through Sushi.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte della Spumantistica Kerner 2009
Pale almost papery brassy white with brilliant greenish brassy reflections and fine insistent perlage. The bouquet is rich, with intriguing floral accents supported by graceful spice, mint and herbal sage, and some savory notes. Quite pleasant to sniff. On the palate it's ample and soft, with fairly rich white berry fruit supported by creamy sparkle and some sweetness, which flow into a clean fresh slightly bitter white berry fruit finish in which savory notes provide a pleasant counterpoint. Very nice, and will work beautifully as an aperitif or at table, with egg or cheese based dishes, and also with creamy fish based pasta sauces; it will also be nice with grilled fish, including crustaceans. It's quite nice, and well worth seeking out unless you only look for the bracing acidity that Pinot Noir-based sparkling wines often have.
90

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte della Spumantistica Cersegi 2009
Pale brassy white with brassy reflections and fine perlage. The bouquet is pleasant, with slightly pickled lemony fruit supported by some gunflint and spice, and by some vegetal accents. Pleasing complexity. On the palate it's ample and smooth with fairly rich, fairly sweet white berry fruit that has some sour citric overtones supported by creamy sparkle and by smooth creamy acidity that flow into a fairly long finish that acquitted bitter accents as the fruit fades. Quite nice as an aperitif, and will also drink well with creamy dishes, ranging from risotti through creamy meats and fish.
88

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte della Spumantistica Petit Manseng 2009
This takes the place of Promotico, which was (I think) the weakest of the Arte Spumantistica wines. It's pale brassy white with brassy reflections and fine long lasting perlage. The bouquet is rich, with fairly intense gooseberry mingled with sweaty blonde and supported by some greenish accents. Nice depth and balance. On the palate it's ample and soft, with fairly rich citric fruit that gains creaminess from the sparkle and flows into a clean finish in which the gooseberry accents present on the nose emerge once more. Pleasant, in an extremely approachable key, and will work nicely as an aperitif or with grilled fish, and I might be tempted to serve it at a cookout too, which would be overkill but nice. A very welcome addition to the line.
88-90

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte dells Spumantistica Dessert Prestige 2009
This is a demi-sec blend of Glera (a new name for the Prosecco varietal, to distinguish the wine from the grape) and Moscato. It's pale brassy white with brassy reflections and fine intense perlage. The bouquet is fairly intense, and rather sweet with sugary white berry fruit supported by some dusky accents and spice that gives an impression of sweetness. On the palate it's ample and quite sweet, with fairly rich honey-laced white berry fruit; by comparison with a moscato it's not quite as rich and the fruit is a bit more citric, and it flows into a clean fresh sweet slightly greenish white berry fruit finish. Pleasant and will work nicely at the close of a meal or at pool side, or perhaps in the evening on a terrace as the shadows darken and the stars come out.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti Metodo Classico Brut 2005
Brilliant brassy gold with greenish reflections and fine intense perlage. The bouquet is intense slightly greenish accents mingled with bread crumbs and some sour accents that provide depth, and some gunflint as well. On the palate it's fairly rich, with clean bright berry fruit supported by greenish accents and creminess from the sparkle, which lead into a clean fairly rich slightly greenish finish. Pleasant, and will work nicely as an aperitif or with foods; it's a bit less acidic than many Champagnes or other wines made from Pinot Noir, and this makes it slightly more approachable, as does its slightly greater sweetness, especially if you don't like bone dry aggressive sparkling wines.
2 stars