Most Prosecco falls in the former category. Its trusted to kick off the night with effervescent fun, but once the orders have been placed or the oven timer sounds, the flutes are whisked away. Out comes the Chablis, the Brunello, the Burgundy.

But the 2021 Masottina R.D.O Levante is main-event material.

This is the only Prosecco to ever break the Wine Spectator Top 100, a best-in-class bottling that also won 97 points at the Decanter World Wine Awardsthe highest score ever awarded to a Prosecco. Creamy, round, and elegant with the faintest hint of spice, its a serious and deep sparkling wine, artisanally crafted from 50-year-old vines from a single site in arguably the most prestigious cru of the region.

Normally $36 and impossible to find in the U.S., we managed to score an allocation at more than 30% off the list pricea STEAL for a knockout Prosecco of historic proportions.

Heres the first sign of seriousness: While many Proseccos tend to be NV blends, this is a single-vintage bottling from 2021, transmitting the excellence of a year that was cool and defined by a late harvest, allowing grapes to reach a perfect equilibrium between acidity and sugars.

Masottina is the producer, founded in 1946 by the Dal Bianco family and currently run by third-generation winemakers. A legendary institution in the region, they rely on hand-harvesting to bring Glera grapes in from the steep vineyards, and employ a gravity-fed winery that preserves the wines freshness and nuance.

Conegliano Valdobbiadene is a prestigious DOCG in northeast Italys Veneto region, and the Superiore descriptor applies to wines with slightly higher levels of alcohol, hinting at this releases sumptuous body and structure.

R.D.O stands for Rive di Oglianothe supreme expression of Masottinas wines. Rive is a recent term that refers to a series of tiny terroir-specific hamlets in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene, which are usually situated on extremely steep hillsides. This bottling hails from one in the village of Ogliano, the steepest in the region and richly appointed with well-draining glacial soils, which are rare here. Levante refers to the eastern side of the hill, featuring a cooler microclimate that imbues grapes with tremendous vibrancy and tension.

Pour this with lobster and butter, with grilled scallops, with creamy shrimp scampi. Whatever you do, bring it to dinnerits a winner.