Franciacorta DOCG
Franciacorta was the first Italian sparkling wine produced exclusively by the Classic Method, or second fermentation in the bottle, to win, in 1995, official status as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG).
Today, the front label on the wine reads simply “Franciacorta”: this one term defines the growing area, the production method, and the wine.
The area’s venerable wine cellars, which today have transformed themselves into cathedrals of modern winemaking technology, proudly produce the four categories of Franciacorta sparkling wines, Millesimato, Rosé, Satèn, and Riserva, and Franciacorta’s still wines as well, Curtefranca DOC Bianco and Rosso and Sebino IGT.
The different types of Franciacorta
Franciacorta
Grapes: Chardonnay and/or pinot noir, but up to 50% pinot bianco may be used as well.
Process: Refermentation in the bottle, with the wine maturing sur lie a minimum of 18 months, and reaching an internal pressure of 5-6 atmospheres. Franciacorta cannot be released earlier than 25 months from harvest.
Sensory profile: Straw yellow with greenish or golden highlights, and a delicate, long-lingering bead of bubbles. The bouquet boasts classic notes of refermentation in the bottle—the impressions of fresh-baked bread and yeastiness—, enlivened with subtle hints of citrus, dried white fig, and mixed roasted nuts, including almond and hazelnut. On the palate it is full-flavoured, refined, and remarkably well-balanced.
Range of styles: No Dosage, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec or Dry, Demi-sec.
Franciacorta Satèn
Grapes: Predominantly chardonnay, plus up to 50% pinot bianco; Satèn is therefore always a Blanc de blancs.
Sensory profile: Straw yellow in appearance, sometimes deep in hue, and with greenish highlights at times. It releases a creamy, long-lasting bead of notably delicate bubbles. A soft-contoured bouquet offers emphatic notes of well-ripened fruit, enriched by delicate nuances of spring flowers and of mixed nuts, including roasted almond and hazelnut. In the mouth, lively flavours and a refreshing crispness are in admirable balance with a texture that gives the impression of luxurious silk. This velvety quality is due to the fact that the internal pressure is less than 5 atmospheres.
Range of styles: Satèn is produced only in the Brut style.
Franciacorta Rosé
Grapes: Chardonnay and pinot bianco, with a minimum of 25% pinot noir.
Process: The white and red grapes are vinified separately. Franciacorta Rosé is often made from just pinot noir grapes, with a rosé-method fermentation, but it is also made by blending pinot noir with base wines of chardonnay and/or pinot bianco. The pinot noir must ferments in contact with the skins to give the wine the desired pinkish hue.
Sensory profile: The pinot noir component provides impressive fragrances of wild red berryfruit, as well as firm structure and distinctive energy.
Range of styles: No Dosage, Extra brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec or Dry, Demi-sec.
Franciacorta Millesimato
Process: Millesimato, or vintage-dated Franciacorta, is composed of base wines that are at least 85% from one single growing year. It may be released only after a minimum of 37 months from harvest.
Sensory profile: The bouquet and palate of Franciacorta Millesimato reflects in a striking fashion the weather conditions of its growing year and the sensory expressiveness of the grapes from that particular vintage.
Range of styles: No Dosage, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry. In the case of Satèn, only Brut. Both Satèn and Rosé can be Millesimato, which increases their complexity, body, cellarability, and elegance.
Franciacorta Riserva
Process: Riserva is a Franciacorta Millesimato, which can include Satèn and Rosé, that has matured sur lie a minimum of 60 months. A Riserva is released, therefore, a full 67 months (5 and a half years) after harvest. Since many Franciacorta Millesimatos rest sur lie far longer than the required minimum of 30 months, this designation was created to highlight this unique type of wine.
Range of styles: No Dosage, Extra Brut, Brut. In the case of Satèn, only Brut style.
Source: www.franciacorta.net
