About this wine
Vineyard and terroir
The 2021 cuvée drew on 25 Chardonnay vineyards in Erbusco, Adro, Cazzago San Martino, Corte Franca and Passirano, plus two Pinot Bianco vineyards in Passirano. The Chardonnay vines averaged 27 years and the Pinot Bianco vines 32 years. All 27 vineyards were certified organic. Average yield was 6,300 kg/ha, equivalent to 2,750 litres of wine per hectare and a 43% grape-to-wine yield.
Grapes
Blend proportions vary by vintage. Latest published vintage (2021): 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Bianco.
Vinification
Grapes picked into small crates were graded, chilled and selected bunch by bunch. They then underwent a three-vat washing and jet-spray treatment followed by tunnel drying. After crushing without oxygen exposure, the base-wine musts fermented in small oak casks. Barrel maturation lasted five months. The wines were transferred by gravity to maturation tanks, and the cuvée was assembled seven months after harvest from 27 Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco base wines.
Disgorgement took place without oxygen through a patented system intended to avoid oxidative stress and additional sulphites. Every bottle was individually marked for traceability.
Ageing
Tirage took place in April 2022. Maturation on the lees averaged 53 months. A lower sugar addition than for the other Franciacortas supports the creamy texture and soft profile associated with Satèn.
Technical data
Dosage at disgorgement: equivalent to 0.5 g/L sugar, classified Brut. Alcohol: 12.5% vol. pH: 3.00. Total acidity: 6.70 g/L. Volatile acidity: 0.35 g/L. Total sulphur dioxide: below 55 mg/L.
Tasting profile
A creamy, smooth Franciacorta shaped by the delicacy of white grapes, with a soft and elegant sensory profile.
Vintage notes
The mild, relatively dry winter of 2020–2021 brought early budbreak in late March. Frost on 6–7 April damaged some vineyards, after which cold and frequent rain slowed growth and delayed flowering. The crop remained healthy until a violent hailstorm on 25 July. An early-August heatwave helped the remaining bunches heal and remain dry. Picking began on 17 August, and the surviving grapes achieved balanced analytical parameters.
Label / history
Introduced in 1978 as Crémant, the wine was renamed Franciacorta Vintage Satèn in 1990. From the 2008 vintage, Satèn joined Dosage Zéro and Brut under the Vintage Collection name.
