Franciacorta

1976 – this was Maurizio Zanella's first rosé bottling from Ca' del Bosco. He simply called it "Rosé Ca' del Bosco". What was an experiment back then is now number 47 in a continuous process: since 2018, each edition has had its own number because Zanella and his team are convinced that each composition has its own sensory signature – and that this signature should be memorialised. Edizione 47 is based on the 2022 harvest year – a hot, dry summer in Franciacorta, which forced an early harvest on 6 August. 14 days, 7,800 kilograms per hectare, a harvest under pronounced water stress. The result is wines with good structure and pleasantly fresh acidity, with fruity notes over a clear citrus base. 80% Pinot Noir from twelve vineyards in Erbusco, Adro, Iseo and Passirano – on average 34-year-old vines – and 20% Chardonnay from seven parcels, half reserve wines 2021, half base wines 2022.

In 1964, Annamaria Clementi Zanella purchased two hectares near Erbusco, which would later become Ca' del Bosco. In 1976, the estate's first rosé was released, a wine blended from several vintages. Since the 2018 harvest, it has been part of the Edizioni range, and with each new edition the dosage is reduced slightly so that the grape variety and vintage come through more clearly. Edizione 48 is made exclusively from the 2023 harvest, sourced from 19 vineyards: 64% Pinot Nero from Erbusco, Adro, Iseo and Passirano, 36% Chardonnay from Erbusco, Cazzago San Martino and Passirano, with the vines averaging around thirty years old. The grapes are washed and dried; the Pinot Nero remains on the skins for 24 to 36 hours until the delicate pink colour develops, ferments in stainless steel and small wooden vats, and only then is blended with the Chardonnay. On average, the cuvée rests on the lees for around 24 months; the lees are removed without exposure to oxygen, and the dosage is kept to a minimum.

Quintessence is the flagship of Antica Fratta: a Riserva that is only available in the best years. Monumental depth meets expressive precision. The blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Nero matures for an incredible 60 months on the fine lees before being bottled as an Extra Brut – characterising style, artistic and terroir-connecting. Dense gold in the glass with a fine chalky perlage. The nose reveals notes of candied lemon, grapefruit, brioche, roasted hazelnut and a hint of aromatic herbs. Flavours of apples in caramel, ripe peach and sea salt combine with a subtle minerality in the background. Quintessence is majestic on the palate: powerful, yet with a delicate structure. The fruit appears mature, but always remains vital. The perlage is creamy, the acidity finely and elegantly integrated. The tannin structure and precision form a linear body, supported by great length and cool dynamism. The finish is long-lasting, with delicate notes of bitter almond and salt - a quiet, never loud wine with an impressive effect. SUPERIORE.DE

The name says it all: '61 commemorates the birth year of the very first Franciacorta and the first rosé Metodo Classico in Italy, which also came from Berlucchi. This line embodies the legacy of the pioneers Guido Berlucchi and Franco Ziliani in its purist form: Millesimato, Dosaggio Zero, without any compromise. The 2018 rosé comes from 100% Pinot Nero from the company's own vineyards Ragnoli, Quindicipiò and Gaspa in Corte Franca – all with a high planting density of 10,000 vines per hectare. The strict selection results in only 6,000 kg of grapes per hectare with a must yield of only 33%, which corresponds to 2,640 bottles. To achieve the characteristic rosé colour, some of the grapes are cold macerated for around 24 hours, while the rest is vinified as Blanc de Noirs. After fermentation in stainless steel, the base wines mature for six months on the lees, partly in barriques. This is followed by a second fermentation in the bottle and maturation on the lees for at least 60 months – five years, during which the wine develops its remarkable depth.

The Vintage Collection Extra Brut is the backbone of Ca' del Bosco – a cuvée that embodies everything that makes this style great: depth, precision and energy. No gimmicks, no overt fruitiness, but rather the archetype of a high-quality Franciacorta with a distinct character and tremendous inner tension. The cuvée is composed of Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and a small proportion of Pinot Bianco, harvested from the finest plots in Erbusco, Cazzago San Martino and Passirano. Each harvestand each batch is fermented separately – partly in small oak barrels, partly in steel – after which the wine rests on its lees, is blended, bottled and aged in the bottle for over 48 months. The dosage is kept to a minimum so as not to mask the structure of the vintage.

Vintage Collection dosage zéro is the purest expression of what Franciacorta can be – and Ca' del Bosco demonstrates just how far this ambition can be taken when precision and patience work in harmony. No dosage, no compromises – just the essence of the grape, the terroir and time. The cuvée, made from Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco, comes exclusively from vineyards selected for their expression, depth and freshness. Hand-harvested into small crates, gently pressed, with fermentation and ageing of the base wines in barriques – all under maximum protection from oxidation. This is followed by the tirage and over 50 months' ageing on the lees in the bottle. Disgorged without any added sugar – the pure backbone of the vintage.

In 1978, Ca' del Bosco launched a sparkling wine which the estate classified at the time as a Crémant, made exclusively from white grapes and designed to be smooth. Since 1990, it has been called Satèn, a name that evokes silk – the sensation it aims to create on the palate. Chardonnay from 25 vineyards across five municipalities in Franciacorta provides the backbone; the vines are on average 27 years old. 15% Pinot Bianco from two plots near Passirano, aged 32 years, adds the necessary roundness. As a vintage sparkling wine, it openly displays its vintage on the label, and 2021 proved a challenging year for the vines, with frost in April and hail in July. Twenty-seven base wines are blended, which mature for five months in small oak barrels before the wine spends an average of 53 months on the lees.

An exceptional milestone in the art of Franciacorta: Palazzo Lana Extrême is masterfully composed and matured on the lees for 84 months before being bottled without dosage. 100% Pinot Noir from old, optimally exposed parcels, rigorously selected and with historic expressiveness. In the glass, it presents itself with bright gold and amber reflections, supported by a very fine-pored perlage. The bouquet is complex and brooding: candied citrus notes, brioche, almond cream, dried apricot, hay ground and a present salty minerality. The palate shows great Franciacorta style: precise acidity, creamy texture, elegant fruit and cool minerality. The finish is long, spicy and shows flavours of toasted almonds, jasmine and Sicilian sea salt in perfect balance. A solitaire that combines origin, depth and style in timeless harmony – serious, generous and with a lasting effect. SUPERIORE.DE

A Grand Cru of Franciacorta – from a single, high-altitude Pinot Nero parcel, selected and vinified with the utmost precision. The 2013 matured on the lees for more than seven years and was disgorged without dosage in order to reveal the pure character of the vineyard. In the glass, it shines in a rich gold colour with copper reflections, interspersed with an ultra-fine, persistent perlage. The nose is deep and multi-faceted: ripe apricot, candied orange peel, rosehip, fine brioche notes, hazelnut and a hint of smoke. Powerful and focussed on the palate, carried by taut, crystal-clear acidity and a silky texture. The fruit remains subtle, while salty minerality and fine toasted notes create great inner tension. The final is long, cool and complex, with hints of dried herbs and citrus zest. A Franciacorta of rare depth and nobility – uncompromising, clear and of impressive longevity. SUPERIORE.DE

On 18 and 19 April 2017, the temperature dropped to minus 4.5 degrees; the frost damaged two-thirds of the estate's vineyards, whilst in August the temperature soared to 39 degrees. The yield was 4,800 kilograms of grapes per hectare – 38% – and from these came a wine bearing the name of the estate’s founder: Annamaria Clementi Zanella, mother of Maurizio Zanella. In 1989, the cuvée was dedicated to her; it is produced only in the best vintages and exclusively from the finest plots, at that time still known as the Cuvée Annamaria Clementi Riserva. Since the 2008 vintage, it has been simply called Annamaria Clementi and is bottled without dosage.

"When we taste the Riserva Franco Ziliani, we hear our father's voice: direct, brooding and rigorous." – Paolo Ziliani. Created as a tribute to the 90th birthday of the visionary who, together with Guido Berlucchi, bottled the first 3,000 bottles of Franciacorta Metodo Classico in 1961, thereby changing the destiny of an entire region. With the 2011 vintage – only the second bottling since its debut in 2008 – this Riserva now becomes part of the permanent collection. A limited special edition becomes a living legacy. The philosophy behind it: time perfects. "Art is Timeless" is the mantra, and indeed, every bottle resembles a work of art. The hand-crafted brass label transforms it into a collector's item, of which only 4,732 exist.

A Grand Cru of Franciacorta – from a single, high-altitude Pinot Nero parcel, selected and vinified with the utmost precision. The 2013 matured on the lees for more than seven years and was disgorged without dosage in order to reveal the pure character of the vineyard. In the glass, it shines in a rich gold colour with copper reflections, interspersed with an ultra-fine, persistent perlage. The nose is deep and multi-faceted: ripe apricot, candied orange peel, rosehip, fine brioche notes, hazelnut and a hint of smoke. Powerful and focussed on the palate, carried by taut, crystal-clear acidity and a silky texture. The fruit remains subtle, while salty minerality and fine toasted notes create great inner tension. The final is long, cool and complex, with hints of dried herbs and citrus zest. A Franciacorta of rare depth and nobility – uncompromising, clear and of impressive longevity. SUPERIORE.DE