Bellavista sits on the hill it's named for in Erbusco, at the centre of Franciacorta's ring of glacial moraine. Vittorio Moretti started it with a few hectares, a family home and a small winery, and the family still lives on the hill beside the cellar. The winery dates the project to 1977, and Moretti was one of the people behind Franciacorta's revival as a sparkling wine region in the 1970s.
The vineyards lie between Lake Iseo and the Lombard Prealps, planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco. Every vineyard has a name, and each pruner works the same rows year after year, with their initials marked on them. Grapes are picked by hand and reach the press within two hours. Alma, the house cuvée, is blended from more than 100 base wines.
The bottles age in two kilometres of tunnels dug into the hill, and riddling is still mostly done by hand. Francesca Moretti leads the winemaking, with Richard Geoffroy as mentor and cellar master.
Not tasted yet
I haven't reviewed a wine from Bellavista yet. They're on my Top 100 list, which is built from awards.