Storia
Calino and the Maggi family
Two traditions explain the beginnings and name of the small Borgo di Calino. One traces its history as far back as ancient Greece; the other derives Calino from the Latin callis, meaning a small road. The settlement stands among old palaces, convents, abbeys and small churches set within Franciacorta’s hills and morainic valleys.
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Lavinia Calini, wife of Gaetano Maggi, inherited the property. It subsequently remained within the patrimony of the noble Maggi family of Brescia. Among the family’s prominent descendants was Count Aimo, creator and emblematic figure of the MilleMiglia motor race. His wife, Countess Camilla, lived at Villa Maggi.
Marchesi Antinori at Montenisa
In 1999, attracted by the beauty and viticultural potential of the area, Marchesi Antinori invested in Tenuta Montenisa and began its enduring involvement with the property. Since that year, the vineyards surrounding the Maggi family’s villa have formed the core of Marchese Antinori Franciacorta production.
The estate combines older and newer vineyard holdings. Its historic vineyards occupy the hill of Santo Stefano. More recent vines were established inside a wall-enclosed parcel locally called a brolo.
Cellars and continuing production
Vinification and maturation take place in cellars beneath the arcades enclosing the estate’s building complex. The historic cellars maintain extended bottle maturation on the lees beyond the minimum periods required by the appellation regulations. Remuage continues to be performed with individual attention to each bottle.
Terroir
Tenuta Montenisa lies in the heart of the Franciacorta production area, around the centuries-old hamlet of Calino and near Lake Iseo. The surrounding landscape is formed by green hills and morainic valleys punctuated by historic palaces, convents, abbeys and small churches.
The historic estate vineyards occupy the hill of Santo Stefano. Their intensely aromatic grapes contribute complexity and balance. More recent vineyards grow within a parcel enclosed by a wall, a feature locally known as a brolo.
Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco are cultivated for their traditional suitability to Franciacorta. Chardonnay contributes characteristic floral and fruit aromas; Pinot Nero provides structure and personality; Pinot Bianco is associated with savoury, mineral character.
Vinificazione
The vineyards are planted with the three varieties traditionally used by the estate for Franciacorta production: Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco. The vineyard structure preserves the historic plantings on the hill of Santo Stefano while incorporating newer vines inside the wall-enclosed brolo. The latter parcel was planted specifically to pursue high grape quality.
Vinification and maturation cellars lie beneath the arcades that define the estate’s building complex. Bottled wines mature on their lees for periods longer than the minimum terms prescribed by the Franciacorta regulations. Remuage remains part of the cellar work and is conducted with close attention to every individual bottle.
The production is divided into two broad groups. The Classics—Cuvée Royale, Rosé and Blanc de Blancs—combine Antinori family experience with selected Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco from Franciacorta. The vintage-dated wines—Conte Aymo, Contessa Maggi and Donna Cora Satèn—are made from selections of the same three varieties and are produced only in exceptional vintages.
Filosofia
Tenuta Montenisa’s approach joins the Antinori family’s winemaking experience with the viticultural character of Franciacorta. The estate associates each of its principal varieties with a distinct contribution—aromatic fruit and flowers from Chardonnay, structure and personality from Pinot Nero, and savoury mineral character from Pinot Bianco.
Its vineyard strategy combines established sites with purposeful development: the historic Santo Stefano vineyards provide aromatic intensity, complexity and balance, while the newer brolo plantings were created to pursue grapes of particularly high quality. In the cellar, extended lees maturation and attentive remuage are intended to translate the territory into the finished wines.