As we reach the New Year, it is of course time to talk about bubbles. While we could discuss Champagne, as we almost always do during this time of year, I’d rather turn your attention to a region that simply never seems to get its due: Franciacorta.
Located in the northern Italian province of Lombardy, Franciacorta has been recognized as a formal appellation since the 60s, but it wasn’t until the 90s when it became a sparkling wine specific appellation that the area found its modern identity as a serious competitor to Champagne. Franciacorta utilizes the traditional method to carbonate their wines, exactly as it’s done in Champagne. This painstaking process involves vinifying a base wine, then adding a dosage of sugar and yeast to the bottle to restart fermentation inside the bottle. The bottles are slowly tilted neck down over a number of months until all the lees (dead yeast cells) settle into the neck, allowing the now sparkling wine’s top to be popped, shooting out any remaining sediment like a rocket. This time spent with the lees in contact with the wine is what gives traditional method wines their characteristic complexity along with aromas of bread and brioche.
Franciacorta forms a sort of amphitheater around Lake Iseo, benefitting both from the lake’s temperature moderating presence and the sunlight that reflects off the lake and onto the vines to enhance their ripeness. Two of the three classic champagne grapes make up most plantings in the region with chardonnay accounting for most vineyard land followed by pinot noir with a small amount of pinot blanc allowed as well. The region does differ substantially from Champagne in terms of soil, being composed primarily of glacial sand and silt as opposed to Champagne’s chalky limestone. All in all, the region presents an interesting juxtaposition to the classics of French sparkling wine, offering the same grapes made in the same way but with a notably different climate and soil.
Contadi Castaldi is a long-standing family winery in Franciacorta, having been established by Vittorio Moretti in the late 80s a few years before the appellation formally transitioned to all sparkling wines. The family has deep roots in the region, allowing them access to some of the best vineyard sites. Their wines are produced in a former brick factory with extensive cellars perfect for the long aging of traditional method sparkling wines. The winery’s name roughly translates to “county lord/castellan”, a reference to the feudal agricultural dynamics that dominated the region throughout the Middle Ages.
Contadi Castaldi Brut Franciacorta, $29.99, is soft and smooth with medium acid, this lovely sparkling wine shows fresh notes of crushed rock, white peach and yellow apples with hints of crushed rock and a very slight sweetness on the palate.
Contadi Castaldi Rose Franciacorta, $29.99, is bright with notes of underripe strawberry, rose and dried tropical fruit. It is a full-bodied and dry sparkling wine with good structure and a lingering finish.
