La Montina Franciacorta

SINCE 1620 THE NAME LA MONTINA HAS BEEN USED TO DESCRIBE THE COUNTRY ESTATE OF BENEDETTO MONTINI DESCENDENT OF POPE PAUL VI.

Monticelli Brusati is a village which lies on a beautiful stretch of land to the north- eastern side of Franciacorta. Here the little urban streets recede and make way for the woodlands of the Mugnina Valley. To the north, the region is crowned by Lago d'Iseo, creating a special micro-climate from which the whole area benefits, including the vines. The first mention of the estate in the archives dates back to 1620 when the owners of the main house were a noble family from Brescia headed by 'Benedetto Montini' - descendant of Pope Paul VI - the namesake of the estate. Since then this small area which includes the adjacent hillside as well as the vineyards has been called "La Montina".

The grounds of the winery are dominated by the 17th century Villa Baiana which is home to the "Remo Bianco Museum of Contemporary Art", and boasts hundreds of pieces that are exhibited throughout the Villa. The estate has another Gallery in the old wine cellar used for contemporary exhibitions of art and sculpture. There is also a lovely boutique. In the past the Villa was also a convent, home to the "Sisters of the order of Dorothy". Today the interior of this space is used for other interests of the Montina estate.

I remember the three brothers strolling around the courtyard of this stately mansion house, touching the thick stone walls and colonnades and from to time indicating points in the empty space where the new project would take shape. The work started in 1985. The hillside which leads down from the old Villa was completely removed by diggers which ate up the land and made way for the reconstruction of the new building.

The La Montina estate was founded in Franciacorta in 1987 by three brothers, Vittorio, Gian Carlo and Alberto Bozza. My father Gian Carlo and two uncles Vittorio and Alberto come from the countryside and are imbued with its agricultural traditions.
Their passion for the land and for winemaking was born out of these traditions and has been a part of their lives since childhood. Why? Because their Father-my grandfather Fioravante Antonio (nicknamed Fiore) - had also worked in the vines and produced red wine. I remember his rough hands, stained red like every vineyard worker, the colour pigments absorbed from hours of handling the berries. My grandmother Vittoria Gaia (nicknamed Gina), ran her own 'Osteria' in Monticelli Brusati, a little village in the province of Brescia where we were all born. This cycle of life in the vines of Monticelli Brusati continues as if the DNA of these men, passed down from countless generations, contains the genetic code for winemaker!

Today La Montina- or should I say The La Montina Estate as it is so called- has produced many vintages and has devoted a great deal of hard work to developing new winemaking concepts and technological advances. At the core of these developments has always remained La Montina's unbreakable bond with the land, respect for the local 'terroir' and a constant pursuit of quality. These are strong foundation that are built on with knowledge, with the mastery of planting and nurturing vines, with the ability to locate the best vineyard sites, with the wisdom needed to progress into the 21st century, while remaining faithful to the commitment of generations to get the best from our research, whether it be for our own gratification or for the pleasure of tasting our Franciacorta.  

Our 20th anniversary production will reach 450 000 bottles of the finest Franciacorta, fruit of the labours of knowledgeable men who live the on land day in and day out, who share the weather patterns and climatic changes, interacting with them in order to interpret every one of nature's messages.