DOCG Sparkling

Bellavista Vittorio Moretti Riserva Franciacorta DOCG

Azienda Agricola Bellavista
Grapes
Chardonnay, Pinot Nero
Denomination
Franciacorta DOCG
Region
Lombardy
ABV
12.5%
Drink
Now to 2040

Bellavista's flagship Franciacorta, made only in the finest vintages. A Chardonnay-led Riserva from Erbusco, barrel-fermented and aged seven years on the lees: fine mousse, orchard fruit, hazelnut and brioche over an Extra Brut, mineral finish.

Best price
£80.20

2018 · 75cl · checked 27 Oct · Delivery charged at checkout

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Vintages 2018 2016

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Where to buy Azienda Agricola Bellavista Vittorio Moretti Riserva

£80.20 best price · 3 retailers in stock · checked 27 Oct 2026

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8wines Best price 2018 · 75cl · checked 27 Oct · Delivery charged at checkout Code NEWCUST8J: Enter NEWCUST8J to get £8 off with the minimum wine order of £88. Valid only for new customers, until 31 Dec 2027
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£80.20 £106.93/L
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Great Wines Direct Best price 2016 · 75cl · checked 27 Oct · Delivery £7.95, min 6 bottles
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£105.47 £140.63/L
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Vino.com Best price 2018 · 75cl · checked 27 Oct · Delivery usually £16.90, free on 2 bottles Code WINE6R8T: £17 off your first wine order with £180 minimum spend, until 13 Jan 2028
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£127.00 £169.33/L
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Tasting Notes

Tasting Bellavista's Vittorio Moretti Riserva

Seven years on the lees and a barrel-fermented Chardonnay core give this Erbusco Riserva its brioche, hazelnut and orchard-fruit depth over an Extra Brut, mineral frame.

Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial
Tasted on
13 June 2026
Source
Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
Nose

Bellavista's seven years on the lees announce themselves first: brioche, almond milk and boiled chestnut over white flowers and orange blossom. Ripe orchard fruit follows, peach and a tropical edge of pineapple, with the laurel and mugwort note the estate flags on its Erbusco selections. A whisper of saline minerality keeps it lifted.

OrangeOrange
Orange blossomOrange blossom
PeachPeach
PineapplePineapple
Wet stonesWet stones
ChestnutChestnut
HazelnutsHazelnuts
BriocheBrioche
HoneyHoney
Palate

The barrel-fermented Chardonnay core gives a creamy, enveloping mid-palate, but this is Extra Brut and the Erbusco acidity cuts straight through it. A fine, persistent mousse carries orchard fruit, candied citrus and hazelnut, with a stony, almost salty drive. Depth and freshness sit in equal measure.

Finish

Long and savoury, closing on toasted hazelnut, honey and wet-stone minerality rather than sugar.

Overall

One of Franciacorta's benchmark Riservas, made only in top years and rated in the mid-90s by Falstaff and James Suckling. Drinkers like it year after year for its fine mousse and brioche-and-citrus complexity. A special-occasion sparkler to rival vintage Champagne. Best from a cool cellar, with food.

Drink now Best by 2040
Live UK pricing

Where to buy Vittorio Moretti Riserva

A prestige Franciacorta released only in top vintages, so bottles are scarce: current UK listings run from about 82 pounds for the 2018 to 105 pounds for the 2016.

Best price · 75 cl · 2018 £80.20 at 8wines
Price spread · 75cl · 2018 £80.20 - £127.00 Across 2 UK retailers with 75cl · 2018 in stock
Retailers · 75cl · 2018 2UK 2 in stock
Vintages live 2018 · 2016 Current release: 2018
Per-litre (75cl · 2018 basis) £106.93 Lowest current 75cl · 2018 offer
Last checked 27 Oct 2026 Refreshed once every 24 hours
Other vintages and formats: 1 price line

75cl · 2016: £105.47, 1 UK retailer

Wine fit score

How Vittorio Moretti Riserva scores

A special-occasion Franciacorta: superb with food and built to age, priced and styled for celebrations rather than the midweek table.

Best for an occasion 9.2/10

The house flagship named for founder Vittorio Moretti, in gift presentation: built for celebrations and special tables.

Best with food 9.0/10

Bone-dry Extra Brut with bright acidity and a fine mousse: a benchmark food sparkler across oysters, fritto misto and saffron risotto.

Best for cellar 8.5/10

Seven years on the lees, a cork closure and 2016/2018 structure let it deepen for a decade past release.

Best value 6.2/10

Premium at around 80 to 105 pounds, but mid-90s critic scores and seven years on the lees make it fair value beside equivalent vintage Champagne.

Best intro to this style 4.5/10

A dry, autolytic prestige Riserva: rewarding but austere, better once you already enjoy traditional-method sparkling.

Best everyday bottle 1.5/10

At 80 pounds-plus and made only in top vintages, this is a celebration bottle, not a midweek pour.

Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.

Denomination Compliance Snapshot

Franciacorta in five fields

A compact view of what the Franciacorta denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.

Allowed grapes
4 varieties listed
This bottle: Chardonnay, Pinot Nero.
Minimum ageing
18 months minimum
No oak ageing required.
Region / area
Brescia: 19 communes in the moraine amphitheatre south of Lake Iseo, Paratico to Gussago
Source: Disciplinare.
Style
DOCG · Franciacorta
Minimum ABV at this colour: 11.5%.
Classification
DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita)
What that means →
Vintages

2016 and 2018: comparing the vintages

Bellavista declares Vittorio Moretti only in standout years. The 2016 is the benchmark, with James Suckling at 95 and a 96 from a second leading critic. The 2018 follows in a fresher, more classic register.

2018 Current release
Best price
£80.20
Retailers
2 in stock
ABV
12.5%
Window
Drink now through 2040

A fresher, more classic season than 2016, declared by Bellavista for a Riserva. Released after about seven years on the lees, it is taut and citrus-driven now and will reward five to ten years more.

2016 Previous release
Best price
£105.47
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
12.5%
Window
Drink now through 2036

A standout Franciacorta vintage: warm but balanced, giving this Riserva concentration and tension. Falstaff scored the 2016 at 96 and James Suckling at 95. Drinking well now, it will hold and deepen toward 2035.

2018 Current release
Best price
£80.20
Retailers
2 in stock
ABV
12.5%
Window
Drink now through 2040

A fresher, more classic season than 2016, declared by Bellavista for a Riserva. Released after about seven years on the lees, it is taut and citrus-driven now and will reward five to ten years more.

Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.

The disciplinare, the place, the label

Why Vittorio Moretti sits at the top of Franciacorta

Named for Bellavista's founder, this Riserva draws on the estate's best soils and oldest vines above Erbusco, with about seven years of lees ageing the Franciacorta rules never demand.

01

DOC, DOCG, IGT: what the badges mean

Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.

Franciacorta is in the DOCG tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.

02

The denomination rules, in detail

  • Allowed grapes. 4 varieties listed in the disciplinare
  • Yield ceiling. 10.0 tonnes per hectare
  • Minimum ABV. 11.5% vol
  • Minimum ageing. 18 months total
  • Tasting panel. Mandatory pre-release tasting commission
03

Region and area context

Franciacorta falls within Lombardy, covering Brescia: 19 communes in the moraine amphitheatre south of Lake Iseo, Paratico to Gussago.

Franciacorta DOCG zone The producer Wine route in the zone

Made at Azienda Agricola Bellavista, Erbusco. Directions

Wine route in the zone: Strada del Franciacorta.

04

Reading the label

  • Azienda Agricola BellavistaProducer / estate
  • Chardonnay · Pinot NeroGrape varieties
  • Franciacorta DOCGGeographic indication and quality tier
  • 2018Vintage (year of harvest)
  • 12.5% volAlcohol by volume
  • Imbottigliato all’origineEstate-bottled
05

What sits behind the price of Azienda Agricola Bellavista Vittorio Moretti Riserva

Tracked from
£80.20
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
5 up / 1 down
Main factor
Seven years on the lees, far beyond the Franciacorta minimum
  1. 01

    Seven years on the lees, far beyond the Franciacorta minimum

    Cost up

    Vittorio Moretti rests about seven years on its lees before release, years of tied-up cellar space and capital the 60-month Riserva minimum never requires, and the single biggest cost behind the 80 to 105 pound UK price.

  2. 02

    Barrel-fermented base wine from the oldest vines

    Cost up

    The base from older vines ferments in small white-oak barrels rather than steel, adding cooperage and hands-on cellar work that a tank-fermented Franciacorta avoids.

  3. 03

    Declared only in top vintages, in tiny volumes

    Cost up

    Bellavista makes Vittorio Moretti only in standout years such as 2016 and 2018, so scarcity and more than 50 separate vineyard selections push it well above the estate's Alma cuvees near 30 pounds.

  4. 04

    Prestige flagship cuvee and gift presentation

    Cost up

    As the house flagship named for founder Vittorio Moretti, it carries wooden-box presentation and a top-cuvee position that commands a premium over entry Franciacorta.

  5. 05

    UK duty and VAT on a 12.5% sparkling wine

    Cost up

    UK alcohol duty at the 2.67 pound still-wine rate plus 20% VAT take roughly 18 pounds out of a 95 pound bottle before any retailer margin.

  6. 06

    Choosing the younger 2018 over the 2016

    Cost down

    The fresher 2018 lists near 82 pounds against the benchmark 2016 around 105, so the younger vintage trims roughly a fifth off the outlay for the same cuvee.

01

Seven years on the lees, far beyond the Franciacorta minimum

Cost up

Vittorio Moretti rests about seven years on its lees before release, years of tied-up cellar space and capital the 60-month Riserva minimum never requires, and the single biggest cost behind the 80 to 105 pound UK price.

Food Pairing

Oysters, fritto misto and saffron risotto for an Extra Brut Riserva

Bone-dry Extra Brut, a fine seven-year mousse and bright Erbusco acidity make this a wine for brine, fried texture and creamy Lombard rice.

Fat cutting Strong match

Fritto misto and fried seafood

The fine, seven-year mousse and bone-dry Extra Brut acidity scrub fried fat from the palate, resetting it between bites. Bellavista's autolytic depth stands up to batter where a lighter Prosecco would vanish.

Try with: Prawn Tempura · Tempura · Gnocco fritto · Salt and pepper prawns

Acidity matching Strong match

Oysters and raw shellfish

Low-dosage Extra Brut and a saline, wet-stone minerality mirror the brine of raw shellfish, while bright acidity lifts the texture. A classic prestige-sparkling match for crudo and the half shell.

Try with: Oysters · Sashimi · Nigiri Sushi · Potted Shrimp

Body matching Good match

Saffron and seafood risotto

Seven years on the lees build a creamy, enveloping body that meets the buttery richness of a Lombard risotto, while the Extra Brut acidity keeps saffron rice from cloying. A regional pairing from Franciacorta's own Lombardy.

Try with: Risotto alla Milanese · Squid ink risotto · Porcini mushroom risotto · Pumpkin risotto · More pairings →

Aromatic bridge Good match

Vitello tonnato and cold roast poultry

The wine's toasted hazelnut and almond autolysis bridge to the tuna-and-caper sauce of vitello tonnato and to cold roast white meat, while persistent bubbles refresh each forkful.

Try with: Vitello Tonnato · Roast chicken · Roast turkey · Roast pork · More pairings →

Salt balance Good match

Aperitivo: fried nibbles and fresh cheese

As an aperitif the Riserva's acidity and salinity cut salty fried nibbles and lift mild, fresh cheese, its orchard fruit and brioche carrying the role a lesser fizz cannot fill.

Try with: Gnocco fritto · Cheese board · Potted Shrimp

Avoid Clash

Chilli heat and heavy sweet-sour glazes

Capsaicin heat and thick sweet-sour glazes flatten the fine mousse and amplify alcohol, burying the riserva's delicate autolytic complexity. Save this bottle for savoury, lower-heat plates.

Skip with: Vindaloo · Sweet and sour prawns · Kerala prawn curry · Korean fried chicken · Pairing guide →

Drinking + cellar

Cellaring Vittorio Moretti Riserva

With seven years on the lees before release and a cork closure, the 2016 and 2018 can hold a decade more, deepening toward toast, honey and dried fruit.

Drinking window
2025 → 2040

Peak around 2030. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.

Decanting
Not needed

Pour it straight from the bottle.

Cellar potential
High

Seven years on the lees, a cork closure and 2016/2018 structure let it deepen for a decade past release.

Buy now or wait?
Buy now

£80.20 for a 75cl bottle of the 2018, at 8wines, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.

Sources & trust

Sources behind this Vittorio Moretti page

Prices & stock

Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 27 Oct 2026, 03:32 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.

Confidence · High
Tasting notes

Drawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic. Drinkers score it 4.4 out of 5 from 69 ratings on Vivino.

Confidence · Medium
Appellation rules & ageing

From the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.

Confidence · High
Why it costs what it costs

Our reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.

Confidence · Medium
Drink window & cellar potential

Style guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.

Confidence · Medium
Related

Explore Bellavista, Franciacorta and Chardonnay

Producer
Azienda Agricola Bellavista Lombardy
Grapes
Chardonnay Pinot Nero
Denomination
Franciacorta DOCG
Region
Lombardy Region guide

Common Questions

It is Bellavista's flagship Franciacorta DOCG Riserva, a Chardonnay-led metodo classico sparkler from Erbusco in Lombardy, made only in outstanding vintages and aged at least seven years on the lees.

A Chardonnay-dominant blend with Pinot Noir, around 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, drawn from Bellavista's oldest, best-exposed vines above Erbusco.

The base wine from older vines ferments in small white-oak barrels, then the wine spends about seven years on its lees before release, which builds its brioche and hazelnut depth.

It is Extra Brut, so bone dry with only a whisper of dosage. Expect bright acidity, saline minerality and ripe orchard fruit rather than sweetness.

Serve it at 6 to 8C with oysters and raw shellfish, fritto misto, saffron risotto or vitello tonnato. Its fine mousse and acidity cut fried and creamy dishes.

The 2016 is exceptional, scoring 96 at Falstaff and 95 from a second leading critic. The 2018 is a fresher follow-up. Both drink well now and will hold for a decade or more.

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Azienda Agricola Bellavista Vittorio Moretti Riserva
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