Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Berlucchi ’61 2011 Palazzo Lana Extreme Pinot Noir, Franciacorta

While spending a month in Italy, I made a quick overnight stop in Franciacorta this past week to visit Berlucchi Winery, the region's first and oldest sparkling wine producer. A few days later, I met an American couple while in Piemonte and was telling them about my short visit to Franciacorta. The woman immediately responded that she was a "Champagne snob". I told her that I too love Champagne, but I also enjoy a variety of sparkling wines from around the world, especially Franciacorta, the hidden gem of a region located in Lombardy, just a short drive from Milano, in northern Italy. And I know that if she tasted the Berlucchi '61 2011 Palazzo Lana Extreme Pinot Noir, Franciacorta, she would understand why it is the Please The Palate wine of the week....