Antica Fratta 'Essence' Franciacorta 2020
Tax included.
Winery: Antica Fratta
Vintage: 2020
Grape: 90% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Nero
Drinking window: 2025 - 2040
Region: Lombardy
Production: 11.500 bottles
THE ITALIAN GRAPE (95)
Forget Champagne. Franciacorta is Italy’s answer to celebration. In the glass, a pale golden hue with a calm, fine mousse that immediately suggests restraint and precision. The nose opens gradually: ripe apple and citrus at first, followed by white blossom and a light, almost hazelnut-like toast from the long lees ageing. The Chardonnay drives elegance and clarity, while the 10% Pinot Nero adds quiet depth and structure. The finish is dry, mineral and persistent. This is not a Franciacorta that tries to impress immediately; it rewards attention!!
About the wine
Deep in the hills between Lake Iseo and Brescia, the locals once reverently called it “El Cantinù”, the giant cellar. More than 150 years ago, Cavaliere Luigi Rossetti carved an extraordinary tunnel system into the rock, shaped like a Greek cross and capable of holding six thousand hectolitres of wine. Around a 16th-century farmhouse, he created a stately villa and built a flourishing wine estate. After his death, the splendour slowly faded and nature began to reclaim the property. In 1979, life returned to Antica Fratta. Franco Ziliani, a visionary force behind Franciacorta, recognised its potential and carefully restored the villa, cellars and vineyards. Today, Chardonnay and Pinot Nero mature in those historic underground cellars, becoming elegant Franciacorta wines that truly capture the essence of the region.
The Franciacorta Essence is Antica Fratta’s pure interpretation of the region: precise, mineral and quietly powerful. Sourced from alluvial soils rich in limestone, the grapes express freshness and tension from the very first moment. The 2020 vintage, shaped by a warm yet balanced growing season, delivered perfectly ripe Chardonnay and Pinot Nero with remarkable natural acidity.
Made exclusively with the metodo classico, the base wines are fermented with great precision before resting for extended ageing in Antica Fratta’s historic underground cellars. 36 months on the lees brings depth and finesse, while careful dosage preserves purity rather than opulence. The result is a Franciacorta that speaks more of place than technique: refined, layered and elegant, capturing the true essence of Franciacorta in a single glass!
