2022 Borgo Maragliano Francesco Galliano Brut Blanc de Blancs Alta Langa DOCG Piemonte 6pk 6x750ml

Borgo Maragliano has been family-owned in Loazzolo, in the Langa Astigiana, since 1850 — five generations of Giovanni Galliano's line farming the steep, chalky hillsides of Alta Langa. In the 1970s, the estate became one of the first in Piemonte to specialize in classic-method sparkling wine. Today, Carlo Galliano — oenology degree from Alba in hand — runs winemaking across 41 hectares, with his wife Silvia and two of their three sons.

This is the 8 Mesi bottling — eight months on the lees in stainless steel, then finished via Charmat method. It's a different approach than the estate's Alta Langa DOCG wines, built for immediacy and bright, punchy fruit rather than layered complexity. The goal: high-tension Chardonnay at a price that makes zero sense.

Alta Langa Chardonnay is high-tension stuff. The altitude and the limestone deliver minerality and acidity that Champagne growers would recognize instantly. Pale straw with green highlights and fine persistent mousse. The nose opens with bright lemon and sweet grapefruit, followed by yeasty tones and dried tropical fruit. Dry, mineral, and taut on the palate — acidity and chalk in balance, with aromatic herbs and a long, clean finish that adds tartness at the end.