Arcari e Danesi, Saten Brut Franciacorta 2014

Jancis Robinson
"80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Bianco. Disgorged November 2017.
Beautifully mineral with an almost saline waxy fruit nose. Waxy fruit on the palate. Still very tight and a little closed. Mouth-watering and long and with energetic, waxy lemon fruit on the finish. This shows that ripe fruit and acidity is possible, resulting in a much more complex wine. Still loads of potential. 17.5+/20 points. (WS)"

Vinous Reverie Notes
Arcari e Danesi is the reward of fifteen years of hard work from Giovanni Arcari and Nico Danesi, all dedicated to Franciacorta. They didn’t start like other wineries. They started because they were attracted to Franciacorta and wanted to fully explore and understand the terrain first. They then began to experiment. Their plan had always been to help develop an identity for Franciacorta that wasn’t based on comparisons (like to Champagne), but was based on the qualities of the region and the strength of the wines. The first harvest for them was in 2006. It came from an old vineyard in Gussago where the grapes were trained on backyard “pergola arbor.” They still make a thousand bottles from this vineyard (the logistical limit): T (dedicated to Tiziano) a reserve bottling of non-dosage Franciacorta. Today the company farms twelve acres. In 2007, they began experimenting with Saten. They knew it was vital to bottle one because it’s a benchmark style for the region, but also knew that their wine making style was largely at odds with oaky, high dosage, conventional Saten. They had been working towards bottling their Franciacortas “methodo SoloUva,” refermenting only with grape must and no added sugar ever. Adjusting this method to the rich Satèn style took some careful adjustments, but in 2012 they began bottling Satèn, and all other wines with no exogenous sugars. “The first bottles of Satèn that we produced were a great success for us. Unconcerned with the market of numbers, we fight obstinately against taste homologation. At our peril, we invented a Satèn that we hope will lead to a technical revolution in this territory.” When they aren’t busy making Franciacorta, Giovanni and Nico are busy helping promote and improve Franciacorta, so that all producers in the region might finally be recognized for excellent, unique sparkling wines.