The delicious 2007 Franciacorta Gran Cuvee Brut is comprised of 72% Chardonnay and 28% Pinot Nero (aged partly in oak and partly in stainless steel). Golden Delicious apple, baked bread, honey-roasted almond and dried apricot emerge from the bouquet. The wine displays a thick, compelling style with a crisp, dry finish and a touch of crushed white pepper. Drink: 2014-2018. A leading producer in Franciacorta, Bellavista farms 190 hectares of vines parceled into 107 individual micro crus. Each one is vinified separately and later assembled into the various blends. Legendary Italian entrepreneur Vittorio Moretti started by making a few bottles to gift to his friends in the early 1970s. By the late 1970s, his celebrated brand had demonstrated that Italy has the potential for top-notch sparkling wine. Importer: Terra Moretti Trading USA; www.tmtrading-usa.com

The 2006 Brut Gran Cuvee blossoms on the palate with juicy peaches, apricots, brioche and spices. This is an especially ripe, broad-shouldered wine from Bellavista, but everything works beautifully. Layers of fruit flow effortlessly to the open, inviting finish. The 2006 can be enjoyed now or cellared for at least a few years. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. Proprietor Vittorio Moretti embodies the spirit of Italian business. Franciacorta, which is not too far from the Lago d’Iseo and Brescia, is in the center of a strip of cities that spans Torino to Venice where a special breed of highly motivated entrepreneurs run the motor of Italian industry. Moretti started with a construction business that led to building wineries and finally to owning his own estates. Bellavista is the crown jewel of the Moretti empire. Under the leadership of Mattia Vezzola, the Bellavista wines have never been better. Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

The 2005 Brut Gran Cuvee is another super-impressive wine from Bellavista. This understated, elegant wine shows lovely inner perfume and fabulous overall balance in an open, approachable style best suited for drinking over the next few years. Rich, seductive fruit finds a lovely counterpoint in an underlying streak of minerality on the impeccable, chiseled finish. This is Lot: L3170-09317002988, disgorged 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. Importer: Empson, USA, Alexandria, VA; tel. (703) 684-0900

This Brut sparkler sees Chardonnay and Pinot Nero blended together to produce a fragrant and creamy whole. Aromas here include stone fruit, mineral and sourdough bread. It feel silky, rich and offers sharp, tonic perlage that keeps the palate refreshed.——M.L.(5/1/2011)—— 91