Marchesi Antinori Montenisa

Calino and the Maggi family

The history of Tenuta Montenisa is rooted in Calino, a small settlement in Franciacorta. In 1158, the bishop of Brescia transferred the hamlet to a local noble family.

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Lavinia Calini inherited the property. Her marriage to Gaetano Maggi connected the estate with the noble Maggi family of Brescia, in whose patrimony it subsequently remained.

Among their descendants was Count Aymo Maggi, one of the founders and emblematic figures of the Mille Miglia automobile endurance race. His wife, Countess Camilla Maggi, lived at Villa Maggi and became a well-known local figure through numerous charitable and social initiatives.

Antinori's earlier sparkling-wine tradition

Tenuta Montenisa's modern direction continued a much older Antinori involvement with bottle-fermented sparkling wine. Brothers Piero and Lodovico Antinori developed their first project after visiting leading French vineyards. A director of the Oenological Institute in Épernay tasted a carefully made white wine from Lodovico's Cigliano estate in Chianti Classico and encouraged him to transform it into a sparkling wine using the traditional Champagne method.

The resulting Gran Spumante Marchese Antinori initially circulated in small quantities. Several hundred cases were taken by the family's Buenos Aires agent, Santini. Countess Guicciardini, a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elena and a friend of Piero and Lodovico, introduced it at the royal court, where it was served during banquets at the Quirinal Palace.

On 19 March 1914, Giacomo Puccini wrote to Piero Antinori about the family's Cordon Rouge sparkling wine and wished the venture lasting success. Approximately half a century after that early period, Antinori's successors discontinued sparkling-wine production amid uncertainty and commercial caution.

The tradition was later revived as Italian appreciation of classically produced sparkling wine increased. Antinori also participated with other producers in efforts to obtain official recognition and legal protection for Italian Spumante Classico made according to the traditional bottle-fermentation method. Giacomo Tachis contributed his technical knowledge and helped restore the standing of Antinori sparkling wine.

Franciacorta's protected status

Franciacorta wines received DOC status in 1967. Following more precise mapping of the production area, the still red and white wines became Terre di Franciacorta DOC, while bottle-fermented sparkling wines obtained Franciacorta DOCG. In 1995, Franciacorta became Italy's first and only Brut DOCG, with natural secondary fermentation in bottle required by its regulations.

Tenuta Montenisa since 1999

In 1999, the histories of the Maggi Counts and the Antinori Marquises converged. The Maggi and Antinori families began managing the lands and vineyards surrounding Villa Maggi to produce Franciacorta. Since then, those vineyards have formed the core of Marchese Antinori Franciacorta production.

The collaboration joined Antinori's sparkling-wine experience with the vineyards and growing conditions of Franciacorta. It led to two principal ranges: the non-vintage Classics and the vintage-dated Vintage wines.

The estate cultivates the three varieties traditionally associated with its Franciacorta production: Chardonnay, valued for floral and fruit aromas; Pinot Nero, which contributes structure and personality; and Pinot Bianco, characterised by savoury and mineral qualities.

Varietal selection is deliberate, and vineyard management follows stringent environmental-protection standards. Harvesting is performed entirely by hand, with careful selection of the bunches. The grapes are placed in small crates to limit berry damage and prevent unwanted fermentation from beginning before the fruit reaches the cellar.

Vinification and maturation take place in historic cellars immediately below the arcades of Villa Maggi. Whole, hand-picked bunches reach the cellar in small crates and undergo gentle pressing in modern pneumatic presses. The first-press must is transferred to stainless-steel tanks for primary alcoholic fermentation, with temperature control used in the estate's vinifications.

The wines undergo secondary fermentation in bottle and remain in contact with their lees for extended periods. Lees maturation exceeds the minimum duration required by the Franciacorta regulations. Remuage is performed with close attention to each individual bottle.

This combination of gentle handling, bottle fermentation, long lees contact and detailed bottle-by-bottle work is intended to produce a fine, persistent perlage and to express the complexity of the Franciacorta growing environment.