Contadi Castaldi

Top Italian Franciacorta Sparkling Wine

The name Contadi Castaldi is a synthesis of the millenary history of Franciacorta, as a characteristic feature of a land devoted to wine. The name Contadi Castaldi is a synthesis of the millenary history of Franciacorta, its 19 municipalities and their vocation for exceptional agriculture. In 1500, the period of maximum splendor of the Venetian Republic, Franciacorta produced food and wines destined for the tables of princes, kings and wealthy merchants. The splendid Venice was the market of choice for Franciacorta to make its wines known.

The “contadi” were, in medieval times, the counties of Franciacorta, small territorial units renamed for an agricultural production of excellence. The "castaldi" were the lords of the counties to whom the government of the lands was entrusted. Franciacorta is the area where the Contadi winery and vineyards reside, a land intrinsically devoted to wine.

The Contadi Castaldi logo is the stylization of a detail of the production phase of the Franciacortas: refinement in the stacks. If you look at the bottles at rest inside the tunnels, the round symbol is the visual representation of the particular bottom of the bottles intended for Franciacortas, while the second sign reproduces the shape of the void that is created in the interspaces of the stacks. A combination that, referring to the double name of the winery, focuses on the value of the natural and slow development of CO2 to achieve, through a fine and persistent perlage, the deepest and most extensive nuances of taste.

Alchemy of Form

Long live the bottles of Contadi Castaldi. Which refer to the sentiment of things softly preached by Morandi. Which, finally, in the intuition of that shortened neck, of those curves dilated in a noble, almost maternal placidity, cannot fail to remind us of the plastic airiness of Costantin Brancusi and his "Maïastra", a magical creature of the skies, supple and vigorous to once upon a time, in the sublime enchantment of the perfection of forms.

Contadi Castaldi has chosen for his bottles a revolutionary shape with respect to tradition. The radius of curvature is wider, the neck of the bottle is shorter and its diameter is reduced. The result is a substantial increase in the surface on which the yeasts are deposited, which is equal to that of the large Magnum or Jeroboam formats.

A form advantage that can affect the content. In fact, the larger the contact surface between the liquid and the yeasts deposited on the bottle during the refinement phase, the greater the degree of taste - olfactory expression of the wine thanks to the role of yeasts, which are decisive in releasing substances useful for the development of the bouquet. expressive of a Franciacorta cuvée.

Dynamic Partnership - Contadi Castaldi, Official Wine Partner of Ducati Corse

Two similar souls, who meet and unite on the basis of shared values: ambition, research, innovation, dedication and creativity. An important partnership between two realities that are born in a "provincial" territory but that address the whole world, competing at the highest levels of their respective sectors.

In March 2017 the adventure begins. Francesca Moretti, CEO of Terra Moretti Vino and Gianluca Uccelli, Contadi Castaldi's oenologist, compose three cuvées, starting with about eighty base wines. Together with the President of Terra Moretti Vino Vittorio Moretti, the CEO of Ducati Claudio Domenicali, the General Manager of Ducati, the engineer Luigi Dall'Igna, they choose among the three proposals the one that best carries within itself the determination and essence of two brands. The cuvée has been decided in May 2017 the tirage takes place. The wine then changes from month to month, with the second fermentation, and at the same time rests, to arrive, in September 2019, ready and quick for disgorgement, with the most energetic and slender liqueur. In December 2019 the wine is ready to be appreciated by all Ducati and Contadi Castaldi fans.

“I wanted a wine that celebrates Ducati, yesterday and today, and knows how to tell its uniqueness, the extraordinary ability to arouse emotions. A Franciacorta with expressive, dynamic, agile, sinuous aromas like a gymnastics, with a fresh, vertical, energetic and powerful character, like the new V4." Francesca Moretti

“Celebrating after a race with good wine is certainly enjoyable and it is something that we hope to do every time. Doing it with this new Contadi Castaldi bottle, created and selected together, means associating pleasure with the pride of having a Franciacorta dedicated to Ducati, our bikes, our spirit, our enthusiasm and the passion that distinguishes us and that unites us to this prestigious wine production house. I can't wait to uncork one of the new bottles of Ducati Brut Race at a GP, I'm sure the toast at the end of the race will have an even more unique and special taste. "Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati

Excellent Keeper

One of the numerous quarries in the area gave birth to the Biasca furnace, the ancient building that now houses the Contadi Castaldi winery. In the second half of the twentieth century, the furnace stopped its activity and Vittorio Moretti took over it for a main reason, linked to the childhood memories of his wife Mariella who spent the after-school afternoons in this factory, which belonged to her godmother.

When, in the 1980s, Franciacorta was at its peak, Vittorio and Mariella Moretti decided together to convert the furnace into a cellar. Its large volumes and long brick firing galleries proved to be perfect for refining Franciacortas and welcoming wine enthusiasts. Thus, the ancient workplace has changed its functionality by turning to the land and the vineyard, but has not betrayed its origins while maintaining the sobriety and serene style of Lombard farms intact.

Yesterday the Earth in Bricks, Today the Grapes in Wine

A skilful renovation, which respected the style of the original designs, transformed the ancient Fornace Biasca into the cellar it is today. Spread over a total of 7,000 square meters, the recovery plan envisaged a conservative restoration operation of the central body of the furnace with use of the ground floor for vinification and aging, of the first floor for the finished product warehouse and of the second floor. for environments intended for parties and events, with over 300 seats.

Cellar Experience

We can't just call it a winery visit. Because it is so much more. An experience, accompanied by the tasting of our wines, which allow you to enter, step by step, into the most authentic and intimate soul of Contadi Castaldi. The same one you taste when you uncork one of our bottles. We are waiting for you in the cellar for our journey together.

The Magic of The Landscape

The most beautiful emotion that a wine can provide: to find in it all the magic of the landscape of origin. An extraordinary universe of vineyards has given rise to the territory of Franciacorta. In the variety of its landscapes we have discovered an expressive range so wide and rich in nuances that it makes it possible to realize a new oenological dream. Thus was born Contadi Castaldi, the company that most of all has specialized in the art of innovation, researching the most evocative vineyards and the most passionate winemakers within Franciacorta. Because no winemaker is the same as another, and each of them practices and excels in different passions.

There is the perfectionist of Pinot Noir, the purist of Chardonnay, the inventor of apparently new vine-growing systems which then discover to be a legacy of ancient knowledge. And there is the poet of Pinot Blanc who always manages to surprise us a moment after yet another discussion on the method of green pruning. And again, there are the six suitable units of Franciacorta, so different from each other that we have succumbed to the temptation of cultivating vineyards in each of them, with the determination to make them similar in a single principle of method: attention to the most subtle differences, manual care and meticulous of the vineyard to make it perfectly healthy and long-lived.

All this variety is for us a great wealth that we bring to the cellar at each harvest to be able to say of our Franciacortas that they are true assemblages of wines of different origins which bring their own uniqueness as a dowry and are expressed in the cuvées through a complete and complex balance , destined to achieve perfect harmony over time. Attention to the most subtle differences, manual and meticulous care of the vine to make it perfectly healthy and long-lived.

The Origins: Adro Land of Wine

Monte Alto protects from the north winds and the fogs of the Po valley. At the time of the glaciation, this long isolated mountain divided Lake Iseo into two gulfs side by side, that of Iseo in the Brescia area and that of Sarnico in the Bergamo area. The mountain is made up of marine sedimentary rocks, i.e. limestone, marl and sandstone. Soils perfect for the cultivation of vines, and exploited, in the past, by brick and concrete quarries.

The name of this small village can be traced back to several etymological roots. Among them “Ader”, whose meaning is “a bright, serene, burning and sunny place”. Another derivation is "Adrusco", which corresponds in the ancient Mediterranean language to "town full of vineyards". The story goes that from time immemorial the municipality of Adro was a land cultivated with vines and this specificity is evident in the coat of arms of the municipality which depicts three large bunches of grapes. The climate of the territory of Adro is in fact mild and temperate, ideal for growing grapes.

The Study of Zoning

The secrets and peculiarities of these gentle hills located between Brescia and the southern end of Lake Iseo. The viticultural zoning of Franciacorta has highlighted and divided the territory into six suitable units. In each of these units, the vine expresses itself in different ways as well as the resulting wines are equally different. Contadi Castaldi highlights and enhances these potentials, with the aim of creating a wine capable of expressing the different nuances of the territory. Zoning is a study which, by analyzing a territory through its geological, pedological, morphological, climatic and agronomic components, highlights its characteristics in relation to one or more potential uses.

The Vines of Franciacorta

The Contadi Castaldi vineyard covers 100 hectares, located in the nineteen municipalities of Franciacorta and distributed in all six suitable units. It is the great heritage of vineyards, capable of providing a wide range of aromas and flavors, that determine the Contadi Castaldi style. On the one hand a generous nature, therefore, on the other hand the work of man who must translate the immense material available into wine. To make the most of each harvest, the creation of the cuvée is essential. The orchestra capable of enhancing every single artist; the instant in which all the ingredients are assembled to create the unmistakable Contadi Castaldi trait. The geological and microclimatic variations of the vineyards, combined with different methods of vine cultivation, are the secret through which we have given life to a new generation of Franciacorta wines.

The Strains of The Territory

Chardonnay

Through Chardonnay we can bring into the glass one of the most specific and unique characteristics of Franciacorta, namely the ability to ripen the fruit while preserving its original freshness and balance. Chardonnay, a great grape of French origin, has been present in Franciacorta since the 1950s, probably introduced in conjunction with the other most common white grape variety in Franciacorta: Pinot Bianco. The chardonnay vines immediately stood out for their regular production, better shape of the bunch, higher sugar content and golden color of the berries. In 1980 it became an authorized and recommended vine for the province of Brescia, today it occupies over 2,000 hectares of land registered in the Franciacorta register, which correspond to about 80% of the total area. The plant is characterized by medium vigor, has light green leaves, a characteristic cluster of greenish color tending to yellow, medium compact and with berries with robust and thick skin. Chardonnay is mainly used in the production of Franciacorta base wines, thanks to its excellent consistency, intense, fragrant and complex aroma, with varietal hints of fruit and flowers, good structure and pleasant freshness.

Pinot Nero

Pinot Noir in Franciacorta is a continuous discovery, it never ceases to surprise especially when taken to the limit. With 15% of the total area of ​​Franciacorta, Pinot Noir, originally from Burgundy, is the second variety present in the area. It is one of the most valuable and complex vines to work with, it has a behavioral variability that sometimes leads it to interact in an unpredictable way with the environment in which it is planted, giving, if best managed, great results both vinified in red and sparkling wine. The Pinot Noir plant is quite robust and rustic, dark green in color, with a pine cone cluster, very tight and small in size. Also present in the production of Brut, Extra Brut or Zero, it is an indispensable component for the Franciacorta Rosé cuvées, in which it must represent at least 25%. As on the mountain of Reims, in Champagne, Pinot Noir is the grape that gives character, structure, complexity and longevity.

Pinot Bianco

Pinot Bianco is a grape to be considered an outsider. He lives the seasons in his own way, adapting in a completely personal way to the different climatic conditions. It is of great support especially in difficult years. Third grape variety by diffusion in Franciacorta, Pinot Bianco is another member of the great Pinot family, occupying about 5% of the total area. Pinot Blanc is used in cuvées in a maximum percentage of 50%. The wine has a full and elegant body, good fixed acidity, and its scent recalls the crust of freshly baked bread and, after evolution, intense almond scents. The Pinot Bianco plant has good vigor, the leaf is intense green and the bunch tends to take on less golden tones than those of the Chardonnay, compared to which it is also much more compact.

Contadi Castaldi - Three Regions, Six Wineries, Six Different Ways to Experience the Beauty of Italy

Terra Moretti has always been committed to the protection and enhancement of the areas with the highest wine-growing vocation. In the name of the parent company, the same commitment as always: the land is a heritage to be protected, valued and passed on to new generations. If this commitment is assumed by an Italian family, the task is even more challenging and the attention is the only one of those who feel that their destiny also includes that of future generations.

For the Moretti family, seeking new lands is the first, exciting adventure. In this research, history counts, the men who built it, geological eras, microclimates and everything that has exceptional characteristics in nature. But above all the man and his ability to create something unique, his need to leave something that lasts over time, counts.

In Franciacorta Bellavista and Contadi Castaldi, in Tuscany Petra, Acquagiusta and Teruzzi, in Sardinia Sella & Mosca. It is not a list of wineries, but a family of companies that recognize themselves in the same values. Founded by Vittorio Moretti, the group is now led by Francesca Moretti who has started a process of "green" conversion of all the estates by undertaking integrated biological defense strategies and bringing innovation in the field of environmental sustainability.

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