"Wine is like the incarnation: it is both divine and human." Paul Tillich
Franciacorta? Today this sparkling wine is not a household name, but it should be. To cognoscenti Franciacorta is known as the Champagne of Italy. Produced in an area around Lake Iseo about one hour from Milan, Franciacorta is a sparkling wine bottle aged in the classic method and made from a combination of grapes most significantly chardonnay usually combined with pinot bianco and maybe pinot nero depending on the style of Franciacorta produced. Unlike champagne, however, which has a 300 year plus history, the first sparkling wine to be called Franciacorta was produced less than 60 years ago. Today, the Franciacorta brand is designated DOCG and consists of approximately 5,400 acres of vines with 100 producers. Compared to the Champagne region of France with approximately 19,000 producers and 80,000 acres of vines, it remains a boutique vintage. But, it is one of Italy's premier sparkling wines, and any blog claiming to write about the sparkling wines of Italy would be remiss without a discussion of Franciacorta. With this in mind, I had been planning a visit to the region for several months. Finally, the day of the trip arrived, and on that Tuesday morning, my husband, Jim, and I commenced the 5 hour drive to Lake Iseo with one goal in mind -- to discover the wines of Franciacorta.
If weather is an omen, then Bacchus was on our side as we began our journey beneath aquamarine skies dotted with hundreds of cotton candy clouds. I sat in the back seat of our Alfa with our dog Luca, just watching the heavens roll by and imagining cherubs floating on those clouds just like in the painting by Michelangelo. This thought triggered my memory of a Mark Twain quote, so apropos on a day like this, "The Creator made Italy from designs by Michelangelo."
The miles passed by as we traversed the A 14 to the A 22 and finally the A4 toward Milan, and everything was going according to plan. But then we encountered the second tunnel on the outskirts of Iseo. That is where we missed our exit and ended up high above the lake in a little village on a narrow, snakelike road with a sheer drop on the right hand side. After five hours of driving, this was not the place Jim wanted to be, but he cautiously navigated the road through several additional villages down toward the lake. And, eventually he found the road to our hotel, I Due Roccoli. The hotel, positioned high up another road characterized by numerous switchbacks, was set in an idyllic spot on nearly 25 acres of land. And after the drive, Jim and I both wanted nothing more than to sit around and enjoy the park like setting.
If weather is an omen, then Bacchus was on our side as we began our journey beneath aquamarine skies dotted with hundreds of cotton candy clouds. I sat in the back seat of our Alfa with our dog Luca, just watching the heavens roll by and imagining cherubs floating on those clouds just like in the painting by Michelangelo. This thought triggered my memory of a Mark Twain quote, so apropos on a day like this, "The Creator made Italy from designs by Michelangelo."
The miles passed by as we traversed the A 14 to the A 22 and finally the A4 toward Milan, and everything was going according to plan. But then we encountered the second tunnel on the outskirts of Iseo. That is where we missed our exit and ended up high above the lake in a little village on a narrow, snakelike road with a sheer drop on the right hand side. After five hours of driving, this was not the place Jim wanted to be, but he cautiously navigated the road through several additional villages down toward the lake. And, eventually he found the road to our hotel, I Due Roccoli. The hotel, positioned high up another road characterized by numerous switchbacks, was set in an idyllic spot on nearly 25 acres of land. And after the drive, Jim and I both wanted nothing more than to sit around and enjoy the park like setting.
I Due Roccoli, a spectacular setting. Luca loved it.
But we had work to do. The week prior I had scheduled a tasting at the Luigi Massussi winery. So after dropping our bags off in our room, and enjoying a complimentary glass of Franciacorta, we once again climbed into the car and set off down the windy road to taste Massussi Franciacorta.
I had picked the Massussi winery as our first stop not because it is one of the better known wineries in the area, but solely because it was located on the same road as the hotel. At the outset, I knew that Massussi was a very small producer offering only a brut and a saten, but my goal was to seek out a variety of producers not only the most well known and biggest.
We arrived at the winery at 5:00 p.m. just in time for our appointment and were met by Luigi Massussi's mother who informed us that her son was on his way having been detained in the vineyard. While we waited, we took time to admire the panoramic view of Lake Iseo from high up on the hill where the cantina is located.
I had picked the Massussi winery as our first stop not because it is one of the better known wineries in the area, but solely because it was located on the same road as the hotel. At the outset, I knew that Massussi was a very small producer offering only a brut and a saten, but my goal was to seek out a variety of producers not only the most well known and biggest.
We arrived at the winery at 5:00 p.m. just in time for our appointment and were met by Luigi Massussi's mother who informed us that her son was on his way having been detained in the vineyard. While we waited, we took time to admire the panoramic view of Lake Iseo from high up on the hill where the cantina is located.
The view from the front of the Massussi cantina.
Then Mrs. Massussi showed us around to the back of the property to see the olive grove and some of their newly planted vines. Today, she explained, the winery, which began operation in 1985, produces only about 6,000 bottles of wine per year. It is the smallest of the Franciacorta consortium wineries, and also the one at the highest elevation at over 1,300 feet. Massussi is in the process of converting its wine making operation to organic production methods and, over the next few years, will increase production to 20,000 bottles.
Behind the cantina, the olive grove and new vines.
When Luigi arrived, he conducted the two minute tour of the petit Massussi cellar, and then led us to a small wood paneled room to begin the tasting.
A corner of the Massussi cellar. There are more tanks than this, but it is small.
As he opened two bottles of Franciacorta, I asked Luigi about his wine making history. He told me he learned to make wine from his father, and like many of this younger generation of Italian winemakers, his passion for wine and experience in the cellar began at a very young age.
Luigi Massussi discussing his wines during our tasting of the brut and saten.
We started the tasting with the Massussi 2010 DOCG Brut Cuvee Del Lago, a wine that has been awarded 90 points by the Varonelli wine guide. (This is one of the oldest and best known of the wine guides in Italy.) The 2010 Brut Cuvee Del Lago is a limited edition wine with only 5,000 bottles made, and each bottle is numbered. ( The bottles we brought home are numbered 2,074 and 2095.) This Massussi Brut is made in the style of Millesimato in which all of the grapes are from the same harvest year. Franciacorta producers generally use a different, but similar, combination of Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, and Pinot Nero in their brut, with Chardonnay always predominant. At Massussi, the wine is 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Bianco and Pinot Nero. It has been fermented in the bottle for at least 36 months. As Luigi poured the wine into the glass, I noticed the pale yellow color, lighter than most champagnes, and the persistent and active perlage. The nose had subtle hints of bread crusts, vanilla and citrus. In the mouth, the wine is soft and dry with some mineral highlights, almonds, and citrus. As I took my third sip of the wine, I looked at Jim with that look that says, "YUM, what a find".
Massussi Brut, Cuvee Del Lago 2010
Now it was time to move on to the Massussi Saten. Saten is a term used specifically to describe a blanc de blanc Franciacorta, a wine made with only white wine grapes and no pinot nero. Quite often, Saten is made using only Chardonnay although up to 15% of Pinot Bianco is permitted. The Massussi Saten was a younger wine than the Brut with the sboccatura, the disgorgement of the yeast from the bottle, in 2015. It has spent a minimum of 24 months aging in the bottle. As the wine slowly flowed into the glass, I noticed that the Saten had a similar color to the brut, very pale yellow. But the perlage was noticeably less, a typical trait of Saten which is made with 4.5 bars of pressure rather than 6 resulting in a softer and creamier wine. This wine had a balanced acidity, but was less complex and more fresh than the brut. It seemed like an excellent summer aperitif or a good wine to accompany a fish dish or a risotto. Its flavors were subtle of fruits and almonds.
Massussi Saten
While in both of the Massussi wines a small percentage of the grapes are aged in French barrique (15% in the brut), this adds to the roundness of the wine and does not overpower the nose or the flavor. For me, this is a definite plus because after my California days of drinking very oak intense chardonnay, I am not interested in drinking wines that taste and smell of wood rather than the fruit.
A few minutes later, we were saying good bye to Luigi. Walking back to our car, I thought back on this tasting experience, and concluded that one day Massussi will be making everyone's list of great wineries in Franciacorta. I turned to Jim and commented that I felt certain this visit would be one of my favorites since it was all about the family, their dedication to a passion, and a dream of making a superior sparkling wine. And you can't beat a visit with an enthusiastic Italian Mama. You can learn more about the Massussi winery on line at massussifranciacorta.it.
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed a brief respite prior to dinner. The food at I Due Rocolli was so exquisitely presented that I just had to include a few photos below. The only drawback to a beautiful meal was my poor choice of wine. I selected a Cavalleri Blanc di Blanc. Unfortunately, for my taste, it had too much barrique, and it tasted like a headache in a glass. So, I requested a second glass of the house Franciacorta from Conti Ducco. It was a beautiful wine with a good balance of acidity and it paired well with both the risotto and the Faraona.
A few minutes later, we were saying good bye to Luigi. Walking back to our car, I thought back on this tasting experience, and concluded that one day Massussi will be making everyone's list of great wineries in Franciacorta. I turned to Jim and commented that I felt certain this visit would be one of my favorites since it was all about the family, their dedication to a passion, and a dream of making a superior sparkling wine. And you can't beat a visit with an enthusiastic Italian Mama. You can learn more about the Massussi winery on line at massussifranciacorta.it.
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed a brief respite prior to dinner. The food at I Due Rocolli was so exquisitely presented that I just had to include a few photos below. The only drawback to a beautiful meal was my poor choice of wine. I selected a Cavalleri Blanc di Blanc. Unfortunately, for my taste, it had too much barrique, and it tasted like a headache in a glass. So, I requested a second glass of the house Franciacorta from Conti Ducco. It was a beautiful wine with a good balance of acidity and it paired well with both the risotto and the Faraona.
Our adventures in Franciacorta were off to a great start. The next day we headed back out on La Strada del Franciacorta in search of Barone Pizzini and Ca' del Bosco. Check back next week for day 2 of Discovering Franciacorta.
