Barone Pizzini Satèn Franciacorta 2015 is unique Italian Metodo Classico sparkling wine with a twist. It’s made just like Champagne, except the pressure inside the bottle must be no higher than 5 bar while typical Champagne or other Franciacorta bubbles are at 6-6.5 bar.
Thanks to a lower pressure, it has a silky, creamy texture on the palate; hence the Satèn name is translated as silk in Italian.
Barone Pizzini Satèn Franciacorta 2015
In the Bottle
Barone Pizzini 2015 is a 100% organically grown Chardonnay from Clogna, Carabioli, Ronchi vineyards in Franciacorta DOCG of Lombardia province in northern Italy. The vines are over twenty years old and grow on gravely and rocky soils created by glacier rivers in the mountain valleys.
After the hand harvest, the grapes were gently pressed and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks to retain freshness.
The new wine was spent 10 months in 70% stainless steel and 30% neutral oak barrels to help retain the fruit character. After the bottling, Barone Pizzini was aged on the lees (in contact with yeast) for another 35 months. So what did we taste in this six-year-old Satèn?
In the Glass
Indeed Barone Pizzini 2015 had as creamy and silky texture as Satèn name promised.
Gentle bubbles and refreshing acidity swang back and forth on the palate playing the contrast game. The citrus notes were leading both in aroma and flavors.
Pizzini had rather intense full-bodied flavors with notes of warm apple, lemon curd, lime rind, and, surprisingly, sweet diesel aromas that we might expect in excellent German Rieslings with some age on them.
Unexpected but charming.
Barone Pizzini was part of our Sabrage Wine Tasting, and it came across similar to Andre Cloute Brut 2013, but with more acidity that resulted in a more vibrant profile.
Finish
Barone Pizzini Satèn 2015 received a mixed welcome among our wine club members during Sabrage Tasting. For some, the diesel note was a turn-off. We also had a split decision between us, but ultimately it was great sparkling to try.
