
Upon arriving at La Montina winery you find the 17th century Villa Baiana in front of you, once home to the estate’s founder, Benedetto Montini. Montini, a noble from Brescia and a descendant of Pope Paul VI, built the estate in 1620. There is a life-sized statue of Pope Paul VI in the cellar carved entirely from the trunk of one chestnut tree (except for the hands).

The villa was later used as a convent before it was purchased in 1987 by the three Bozza brothers, Vittorio, Gian Carlo and Alberto, to create La Montina winery. They use the Villa Baiana for weddings and events for up to 700 people. The Bozza family had been producing wine for generations. One of their cousins gave us the grand tour of the winery, cellars and the villa.

La Montina produces 450,000 bottles of Franciacorta Champagne-method sparkling wine per year from its 72 hectares of land spread across seven communes. The grapes are manually harvested. The winery is very proud of its local artisanally produced vertical ‘Marmonier‘ press completed in 1999. It is one of two of these presses in Franciacorta. The press is large at 3 meters wide and 120 cm tall. It was constructed to gently press the grapes without breaking the skins but achieving the maximum yield of juice. The press is purposefully located above the winery, making use of gravity to transfer the juice.

The juice is then transferred to either steel tanks or barrels to ferment. After 7 months, the still wines are mixed to create Franciacorta. They are bottled with sugar and yeast (called “tiraggio“) and undergo a second fermentation in the bottle. During this fermentation the bubbles develop.

Finally after a long period of maturation on the lees, not less than 18 months, the sediment is gently brought to the neck of the bottle through a process known as ‘remuage‘. The sediment is removed by freezing it, a process known as ‘dégorgement‘.

These are the wines currently produced by La Montina:
Note: Gambero Rosso and Veronelli ratings are out of 3
Non-Vintage:
Franciacorta Brut
This wine is made with 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Nero grapes. It is fermented on the lees for 24 months. It has 9 grams/litre of residual sugar. They produce 100,000 bottles per year.
We tasted this wine during our tour and found it to have good fruit, acidity and floral notes.
Tasting notes: Jancis Robinson “Reviewer WS – Intense straw yellow. Really vinous, developed nose with apple peel, white flowers and hint of bread crust. Lively lemony and peach palate, opulent in the middle and lemony fresh on the finish. Persistent CO2 across the palate. ”
Pairing: light pasta, rice or polenta dishes, fish
Gambero Rosso: 2 bicchieri
Franciacorta Extra Brut
This wine is made with 95% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Nero grapes. It is fermented on the lees for 24 months. It has 4.5 grams/litre of residual sugar.
Pairing: oysters, fish and Grana Padano cheese
Gambero Rosso: 2 bicchieri

Franciacorta Argens Saten
This wine is a blanc de blanc (only white grapes) made with 100% Chardonnay grapes. There are 75,000 bottles produced annually. It is fermented on the lees for 24 months. It has 9 grams/litre of residual sugar. They produce 85,000 bottles per year.
Tasting notes: Wine Enthusiast, “There are subtle floral elements here of yellow rose and jasmine that give this a feminine and elegant personality. But the wine has substance and staying power, too, in its flavors of stone fruit, melon and toasted nut. The perlage is soft and steady, and a pretty note of acidity appears on the finish.”
Pairing: light pasta, rice or polenta dishes, fish, white meat
Gambero Rosso: 2 bicchieri
Franciacorta Rosé Demi Sec
This rose wine is made with 60% Pinot Nero and 40% Chardonnay. It is fermented on the lees for 24 months. It has high amount of sugar at 34 grams/litre of residual sugar. They produce almost 17,000 bottles per year.
Pairing: fruit, desserts, delicate cheeses
Gambero Rosso: 2 bicchieri

Franciacorta Rosatum Rosé Extra Brut
This rose wine is made with 65% Pinot Nero and 35% Chardonnay. It is fermented on the lees for 33 months. They produce 12,000 bottles annually. It has 4.5 grams/litre of residual sugar.
Pairing: cold meat, grilled meat, cheese
Gambero Rosso: 2 bicchieri
Vintage Collection:

Franciacorta Aurum Millesimato
This is their most popular Franciacorta, often sold for weddings. It is easy to drink. It is made from 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Nero grapes. It spends 38 months on lees. They produce 90,000 bottles per year. It has 9 grams residual sugar.
Tasting notes: Jancis Robinson “Brilliant straw. Ripe and with a hint of apple peel and spice (oak?). Stony notes too. Still pretty tight and a little neutral on the palate, but great balance and with a lemony bite on the finish. Ongoing, lively bubble. (WS)”
Veronelli: 2 stars (2007 vintage)
Franciacorta Vintage Riserva
This wine is made with 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Nero grapes. It is fermented on the lees for 60 months. They produce 12,000 annually. It has a low amount of sugar at 3 grams/litre of residual sugar.
Gambero Rosso: 3 bicchieri (2004 and 2005 vintages)