2024 Sorbara. So good at its worst.

If there is a recurring theme in 2024 Sorbara, it is that even in the worst vintage since 1994, the wines are consistent in quality and style. Of the over 20 wines we tasted, we barely discarded two or three, as we did not taste any harsh extractions or extreme bitterness.

As always, the only disappointing thing is how many top wines we taste every year are released as Frizzante dell’Emilia or Vino da Tavola. We understand the problems: extra bureaucracy, constant bar pressure controls by Valoritalia, and tasting panels that are not used to modern Colfondo styles. This can easily make a producer think that having Sorbara on the label is not worth the trouble, but overall, it is a strategy that does not help anyone, especially in a region that is ready to establish itself as a modern classic.

An uneven, rainy spring was followed by a warm summer with growing problems of flavescence dorée. Around the 20th of September, heavy rain started and lasted until the end of October, affecting producers who harvested late.

It is unfair to try to judge the region in a vintage like this, where harvest dates completely shaped the style and quality of the wine. Many producers lost up to 70% of their crop and picked their grapes in the middle of floods with temperatures around 12–13°C. Many had to buy grapes to fill their vats, or in extreme cases, like Bergianti, did not release any wine at all.

What is becoming clearer to us is how much maceration impacts not only the color but the overall style. Shocking pink wines tend to be more fruity, floral, and simple. Garnet or orange wines tend to show notes of orange peel, charcuterie, and rhubarb. Meanwhile, pale pink wines play on more elegant notes of subtle raspberry and lees, sometimes reminiscent of traditional method wines.

For the second year in a row, Baby Magnum from Marchesi di Ravarino confirms itself as one of the most consistently high-quality pale pink Sorbaras on the market: subtle strawberry, raspberry, and peach, with a light note of lees aging that adds depth and texture to the palate.

The surprise of the year is a pair of cuvees coming from the same producer. Marco Lanzotti of Angol d’Amig has opened Pandora’s box of terroir in Lambrusco. The two cuvées we tasted are both single-vineyard wines located roughly 4 km apart, vinified by direct press with no skin contact, yet they are completely different. The orange-colored Acinella packs ripe blood orange, kumquat, lees, and a long finish of crodino bitters and root vegetables, an oxidation almost Selosse-like. Meanwhile, the pale pink La Banda starts with bitter, Negroni-like notes before opening up with subtle strawberry, red cherry, and a fine lees and bread. It was the wine that evolved best in the glass, constantly changing and improving throughout the tasting, and our favorite wine of 2024.

The panel also enjoyed the herbal and elegant fruit notes of S1CH24 by Professor Venturelli, and the earthy, rustic style of Ancestrale by Cantina Cavicchioli. Falistra from Podere il Saliceto remains a true classic of the region: pale yellow in color, made with almost no maceration, featuring Champagne-like notes of lees, lemon, and peach with a long finish.

2024 Sorbara is a tasting/report by Nelson Pari and Filippo Marchi.

This year’s blind tasting panel featured Vania Valentini (curator of the guide Grandi Champagne), alongside Marco Lanzotti (Angol d’Amig), and Davide Raguzzoni (Raguzzoni).

The tasting director was Sandro Cavicchioli (Francesco Bellei) and the sommeliers were Iacopo Casadio (sales manager at Riecine) and Tommaso Barbari.

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