The Start of Something (Thoughts on Oltrepò Pavese Classese, and La Genisia Recent Releases) – 1WineDude.com
“There’s something happenin’ here…”
The “here” in this case is Oltrepò Pavese, in Lombardy’s western edge, in northern Italy. It happens to sit right on the 45th parallel, which as a wine nerd you will have at some point heard of (as it is roughly where you can also find Piedmont, Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the Willamette Valley).
The “something” is Classese, a new designation for classic method sparkling from the area.
It’s also the relatively new (since 2020) project La Genisia, started by a coop (Torrevilla) in an attempt to showcase what they could do at a premium level (Torrevilla is actually already fairly boutique by Italian co-op standards: it has just 20 growers, 70 hectares, and only 200,000 bottles made annually).
All of this is going to converge into something coherent in a just a minute or two, I promise…
Classese is actually more of a refinement than a new quality designation, as the idea for classic method sparkling in Oltrepò Pavese dates back to the mid 1980s (and classic method sparkling production in the area going back over 150 years). But as of 2026, the name has official status and official production regulations (including manual harvesting, grapes sourced only from hillside vineyards, minimum 85% Pinot Noir content, 24 months minimum aging on the lees, 60 days minimum disgorgement).
Oltrepò Pavese has a lot going for it for the production of classical method bubbly (as was noted to me during an online tasting of La Genisia samples during which my Italian counterparts were braving a nasty heatwave). Diurnal temperature swings allow proper Pinot Noir ripening in the area; the breeze in the hills lightens disease pressures; its Marl & gypsum-rich soils are widely thought to be very, very good for growing Pinot. Pinot Noir came there from France, and now the region’s producers are looking to give their own identity to Pinot, rather than being a carbon-copy of French bubbly (and with 2800 hectares of Pinot under cultivation in Oltrepò Pavese, it now boasts the 4th most such plantings in Europe).
Can La Genisia function as a standard bearer for all of that newness? Based on my tasting, La Genisia is indeed the start of something good…
2025 La Genisia Pinot Nero dell’Oltrepò Pavese, $25
Fine and tight on the nose, with red and black cherry, salinity, earthiness, good spice action, less herbal action, and nice dried floral notes. Dark fruit, spice, and good structure on the palate. Very light on its feet, with a transparent, delicate fruit expression, and fantastic consistency with the nose. Sleek, clean, fresh, and exuding a quiet confidence. This is librarian time here: it whispers, no shouting allowed!
La Genisia Classese Brut, Oltrepò Pavese, $NA
100% Pinot Nero, grown on chalky soils at 200m elevation, spending 24 months on the lees minimum, with 6 g/l RS. Red berry, red apple, green apple hints, with brioche, dried white flowers, red apple skin all waft from the glass. Very elegant and fine in the mouth, with hints of red apple skin, under-ripe raspberries, and a very linear acidic scaffolding holding everything in place. The toasty notes and super-fresh apple-like crispness last well into a very, very long finish. Excellent and versatile stuff, this is perfect for appetizers of almost any stripe.
La Genisia Classese Extra Brut, Oltrepò Pavese, $NA
Sourced from a higher hill (up to 450m) with more marl soils, this is also 100% Pinot Nero. It has a creamier, richer nose, more floral notes and with more cream and brioche and riper yellow apple present. It also has more red berry and red apple skin on the palate, with deeper richness to the apple and red berry flavors. More salinity and minerality as well. Basically, it’s a whole lot of more, but not in an obnoxious way at all. That vertical acidity is potent, driving a very long finish. Irresistible.
Cheers!
