10 Best Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Wines from Emilia Romagna

Cleto Chiarli is the largest and oldest producer of Lambrusco wines in Emilia Romagna, Italy.

The winery has a rich heritage and has set the benchmark for producing traditional quality Lambrusco wines that have been highly rated by wine critics like James Suckling. Let’s take a look at Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco - the wine styles and tasting notes, the best bottles to buy, the vinification process, and its exceptional history.

Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Wines (Including Tasting Notes)

Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco wine is a delicious light-bodied sparkler with fruity notes and crisp acidity. It is made from Lambrusco grapes indigenous to the Emilia Romagna region. 

Wines made from the Lambrusco di Sorbara grape variety are more fruity with an uncomplicated mineral taste, while the wines made from the Lambrusco Grasparossa grape display fleshy and fruity sensuality.

The wines can also contain small amounts of Lambrusco Salamino, Grechetto Gentile, and Chardonnay.

Cleto Chiarli wines can be brut (unsweetened or very dry), secco (dry), or semi-sweet (with a subtle sweetness.)

The Chiarli family produces these wines in the Cleto Chiarli Tenute Agricole and Cleto Modena wine estates.

10 Delicious Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Wines

We’ve hand-picked 10 delicious Cleto Chiarli Lambruscos that you need to try.

• 2017 Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco del Fondatore
• 2019 Cleto Chiarli Villa Cialdini Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Secco
• Cleto Chiarli Organic Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro
• 2019 Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena Premium Lambrusco di Sorbara
• Cleto Chiarli Brut de Noir Rose Lambrusco
• Cleto Chiarli Vigneto Enrico Cialdini Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Secco
• Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Centenario Amabile
• Cleto Chiarli Pruno Nero Spumante Extra Dry Lambrusco di Modena
• Chiarli 1860 Gala Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Amabile
• Cleto Chiarli Nivola Lambrusco Scuro Secco

1. 2017 Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco del Fondatore, Emilia Romagna, Italy ($21)

The 2017 Fondatore is a Lambrusco di Sorbara masterpiece that has a perfumed nose of wild red plum, raspberry, blood orange peel, violets, and rose petals. It displays vibrant acidity and a crisp finish on the palate.

2. 2019 Cleto Chiarli Villa Cialdini Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Secco, Emilia Romagna, Italy ($18)

This ruby red sparkling wine, made from the Lambrusco Grasparossa grape variety, has complex strawberry, rose petals, spice, and herb aromas with medium acidity, tannins, and an intense finish.

3. Cleto Chiarli Organic Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro, Emilia Romagna, Italy ($16)

This organic Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro is a charming wine that displays tart, red fruit, sourdough, and black olive flavor with excellent frothiness on the palate.

4. 2019 Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena Premium Lambrusco di Sorbara, Emilia Romagna, Italy ($16)

The 2019 Vecchia Modena has lively ginger hints and a fruity aroma of raspberry, red cherry, and strawberry. It delivers gentle herb flavors and crisp acidity on the palate with a long finish.

5. Cleto Chiarli Brut de Noir Rose Lambrusco, Emilia Romagna, Italy ($15)

This is a seductive sparkling wine made from old vine plantings of Lambrusco Grasparossa and Pinot Nero grape varieties.

It packs an intense nose of strawberry, red currant, and raspberry with an uncomplicated mineral taste, wild berry flavor, creamy textures, and a lightly sparkling palate.

6. Cleto Chiarli Vigneto Enrico Cialdini Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Secco, Emilia Romagna, Italy ($15)

The Enrico Cialdini is a deep red sparkling wine with concentrated notes of rose petals, violets, and plum. The wine offers an elegant and frothy palate with white pepper flavor.

7. Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Centenario Amabile, Emilia Romagna, Italy ($14)

The Centenario Amabile is a semi-sweet wine with hints of rose petals, orange peel, and a fruity aroma. It is smooth on the palate with fine bubbles and a fresh finish.

8. Cleto Chiarli Pruno Nero Spumante Extra Dry Lambrusco di Modena, Emilia Romagna, Italy ($14)

The Pruno Nero is a velvety spumante with herbaceous and fruity flavors, a strong structure, abundant foam, and a fresh finish.

9. Chiarli 1860 Gala Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Amabile, Emilia Romagna, Italy ($11)

This Chiarli wine is semi-sweet with delicious red cherry and berry notes. It has rich froth and fruity flavors with a lightly sparkling palate.

10. Cleto Chiarli Nivola Lambrusco Scuro Secco, Emilia Romagna, Italy ($8)

The Cleto Chiarli Nivola is a light Lambrusco wine with mild sweetness, soft tannins, and vibrant acidity. The wine presents a perfumed nose of red fruit and blueberry with a pleasant finish.

Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Winemaking

The Chiarli family owns over 300 acres of vineyard land with rich diversity that adds complexity to Cleto Chiarli’s excellent wines.

The vineyard plots have fertile alluvial soils that benefit the estate’s Lambrusco grapes. 

Furthermore, the winery is a modern structure that utilizes up-to-date technology to craft quality wines without any production anxieties.

The vinification process involves:

• Crushing the grapes immediately after harvest.
• The grape must is cooled and placed in refrigerated tanks.
• The sparkling wine is obtained from a single fermentation inside the tanks.
• The wine is then bottled under sterile and low-temperature conditions with pressure-tight equipment.

However, some Lambrusco wines like the ‘Centenario’ and ‘Pruno Nero’ are produced using the Charmat method in which the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in pressurized stainless steel tanks.

Cleto Chiarli And Lambrusco: A Rich History

The founder, Cleto Chiarli, was a restaurateur who produced Lambrusco wine just for his customers. However, its growing popularity led him to become a full-time wine producer.

After the wine boom of the 1970s, Lambrusco earned the reputation of being overly sweet and cheap. However, Chiarli’s quality wines were still coveted, and production rose to over 10 million annually.

By 2010, Chiarli added new sparkling wines to the collection, and the winery adopted a unique winemaking style for its Lambrusco varieties, becoming one of the finest Italian sparklers.

Add A Bottle of Italian Wine To Your Collection

Packing delicious flavors and seductive aromatics, a bottle of Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco can easily lift your spirits! Sip these excellent wines as aperitifs or pair them with light food like tortellini pasta or desserts.

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