the Winery

Franciacorta Sparkling Wine Producer

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Traditional Method Sparkling Wine

Biondelli is a family-owned winery where the production of Franciacorta has always been at the centre of our identity. Located in the heart of the Franciacorta wine region, our estate extends across 10 hectares of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards, carefully cultivated to express the unique character of each parcel of land.

From vineyard to bottle, every stage of production takes place here on our estate: from the hand harvest of our grapes to vinification, ageing and disgorgement. Combining respect for tradition with modern winemaking technology, we craft our wines exclusively from our own grapes, following the traditional method that defines Franciacorta.

Today, we open the doors of our historic family home to share not only our wines, but the place, the people and the passion behind every bottle.

 

 The Stainless Steel Vinification Area

Our stainless steel vinification area represents the modern and efficient heart of our cellar, where technology and precision support our winemaking philosophy. Equipped with temperature-controlled and compartmentalised stainless steel tanks, this space allows us to carefully manage each stage of the production process while preserving the purity and character of our grapes.

Here, key winemaking operations such as flotation, filtration, cold stabilisation, and the selection, blending and assembly of the base wines for our Franciacorta cuvées take place with the utmost attention to detail. Designed to ensure maximum control and consistency, the facility allows our winemakers to respect the identity of each vineyard parcel and craft wines that faithfully express the unique character of our estate.

 

The Art of Bottling and Disgorgement

All stages of our Franciacorta production take place within our cellar, where tradition, precision and innovation come together to reveal the true character of our wines. Here, every bottle follows a carefully controlled journey, from tirage to the long ageing period on the lees, before reaching the delicate phase of remuage, carried out with the support of the latest-generation automatic gyropallet technology.

Our cellar is equipped to manage every step of the process in-house, including bottling, disgorgement and final labelling. During disgorgement, the sediment accumulated during ageing is gently removed, allowing each bottle to achieve clarity, balance and elegance while preserving the complexity developed over time. Every operation is carried out with meticulous attention by our team, ensuring the highest quality standards for each cuvée.

Once dressed with its final label and ready to leave the cellar, every bottle represents the culmination of our work in the vineyards and the dedication of our family. The final destination is often our direct sales channel, where we have the pleasure of sharing our Franciacorta wines personally with those who appreciate the craftsmanship, patience and passion behind every bottle.

 

The Ageing Cellar

Hidden beneath the estate, our underground ageing cellar is the quiet and essential heart of our Franciacorta production. Built in reinforced concrete using the latest construction techniques, this space was designed with one purpose in mind: to provide the ideal conditions for the long maturation of our wines.

While its beauty lies not in decoration, but in its function, this cellar represents the patience and precision behind every bottle we produce. Thousands of bottles rest here in carefully organised galvanised steel baskets, a practical and efficient system that allows us to optimise space, monitor each individual lot and carefully manage the movement of wines throughout their ageing journey.

Protected from light, temperature fluctuations and external influences, this silent underground environment gives our Franciacorta the time it needs to evolve, develop complexity and express the unique character of our vineyards. It is a place where nothing happens quickly, where patience becomes part of the winemaking process, and where every bottle quietly prepares for the moment it will finally be shared.

 

The Hand-Harvest

The harvest is one of the most important moments of the year at Biondelli, a time when the work carried out in the vineyards throughout the seasons finally reveals its potential. As required by the Franciacorta regulations, all our grapes are harvested exclusively by hand, allowing us to carefully select each bunch and preserve the integrity of the fruit from the very beginning of the winemaking process.

Harvesting always begins with Chardonnay, which naturally reaches maturity before our Pinot Noir. Each vineyard parcel is harvested separately, only when it has reached the perfect balance between ripeness, acidity and freshness. This careful approach allows us to respect the unique character of every plot and preserve the individual expression of each vineyard in our wines.

Every harvest is a balance between nature, precision and patience—a moment when our vineyards begin their journey from grape to Franciacorta.

 

The Press Room

From the vine to the press, every step is designed to be as gentle as possible. Our grapes are collected in small crates that travel directly from the vineyard to the pressing area, avoiding conveyor belts and unnecessary handling. At the eastern end of our vineyard, known as La Nave, a modern unloading hatch allows the crates to be emptied directly into the press room below, where gravity naturally guides the grapes into the cellar.

Inside, a state-of-the-art pneumatic press carries out the delicate extraction of the must. At the centre of a stainless-steel cylinder, a natural rubber membrane gently inflates, pressing the grapes softly against the walls of the chamber to obtain the purest juice while preserving the freshness, elegance and aromatic profile of our fruit. The press can also be inclined during the cycle, allowing the natural separation of the coarser grape particles from the must and improving the efficiency of the operation, reducing processing times while maintaining the utmost respect for the quality of the juice.

An Area of Extraordinary Beauty

morenic terroir

that Stretches from Monte Orfano until the Southern banks of Lake Iseo

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a Land vocated to Wine

The territory of Franciacorta includes the Morenic Field which stretches south from Lake Iseo in that part of the Province of Brescia set in-between the Rivers Mella to the East and Oglio to the West and that reaches out to the slopes of the Montorfano Hill.

An area of extraordinary beauty which stretches from the banks of Lake Iseo across gentle hills and evocative valleys embellished by ancient villages, medieval castles, patrician villas, churches and remote abbeys.

Different theories try to explain the origin of the name of this region, but the most plausible of them has the name Franciacorta descending from "Franchae Curtes". These were communities of Benedictine Monks who took possession of the area during the middle ages and that were granted fiscal exemption due to their work of drainage and reclamation of the land.

However, the culture of vines and wine production in the land of Franciacorta are much more ancient than the name of the region itself. The first traces of this longstanding activity date back as far as pre-historic times and continued up to today, withstanding the different invasions and occupations witnessed by this area in centuries of history.

A tradition of vine culture which spanned across several millennia and that has succeeded in recognizing the production of the Spumante di Franciacorta as the true vocation of this land.

The testimony left by doctor Gerolamo Conforti (a physician of the 16th century) back in 1520 in his "Libellus De Vino Mordaci" (Dissertation on Sparkling Wine), which describes the wine produced in Franciacorta and praises its soothing qualities, proves the ancient vocation for sparkling wine in Franciacorta.

The territory of Franciacorta as it is today is the result of an ancient and glorious past as well as of the enterprising and laborious nature of its people who have contributed to the modern development of the region with their work and tenacity.

The extraordinary wines produced in Franciacorta carry with them this ancient history as well as the beauty and the soul of this land, thus becoming ambassadors for the name Franciacorta in the world.