Franciacorta Brut NV

The flagship wine is sourced from Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir grown on the estates’ own east-southeast-facing vineyards. The surface is flat to slightly rolling within the morainic zone, with loose, medium-fertile soils and medium-deep pebble admixture.

The fruit is hand picked into small boxes between the second and the fourth week of August. Upon arrival in the winery, the clusters are gently pressed in a pneumatic press, first and second fractions are kept separate. After a 12-hour gravity settling at 15°C, the must is inoculated with cultured yeasts and the wine ferments, part at controlled temperatures in stainless steel, part in small oak barrels, and then goes through malolactic fermentation. The cuvée is assembled in spring, with the liqueur de tirage added and the bottles capped and laid down for the prise de mousse. The tiered-up bottles remain in cellar for at least 24 months before riddling. The sediment is then removed and the bottles are topped with a Brut-style liqueur d’expedition, then corked and finally wired. This Franciacorta then rests in the bottle a further two months before release.

This cuvée combines together many types of “knowledge”: that of the grape varieties themselves, that of time, and that of the vinification methods. It offers the eye an emphatic, full appearance of ivory-shot yellow-green, and the mousse, too, resembles ivory: a leisurely, irregular bead from various strands creates a light, slender crown at the rim. The nose is delicate, and might seem timid, yet it fails to yield in any way, right to a lengthy conclusion. Crisp, with intermittent flashes of near-green apple and pear white fruits just moments away from ripeness, and underlying hints of autumnal fog and mist. The palate is dry, clean-edged, and nervy, dense and clinging; right from its entry, it conquers the palate and keeps it hostage, light-hearted yet firmly, progressing to a finale that is forthright and self-assured. Lush and eminently enjoyable.