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BELLAVISTA
«I have always maintained a strong bond with the land.
Winemaking began as a hobby, a distraction from the hectic routine of other endeavors.
In time, I wound up with a gem of a winery». Vittorio Moretti
“Beautiful view”, bella vista: that of a hillside where harmony and nature prevail. Here,
Vittorio Moretti united his home, his first vineyard, the winery, a top hotel, the restaurant of
Gualtiero Marchesi, Henri Chenot’s Espace Vitalité and the offices of the Terra Moretti holding
company. Rather, we might say he molded the land and the resources of this delightful nook in
Franciacorta as one does with clay. The end result is varied and vital, a veritable beehive thriving
with activity that all leads back to this superb soil, a land as pleasurable to live in as it is exceptional
for winemaking.
Franciacorta consists of a group of gently rolling hills wedged between Lake Iseo and the
Brescia plain, restful to the eye and inspirational to the spirit. Its uniqueness can only be preserved
Empson & Co. SpA • Marketing Communications • www.empson.com • Via Mosè Bianchi, 41 • 20149 Milano, Italy
by means of painstaking attention to detail and great vision. These key tools make it easy and
natural to devote oneself to the vineyard with the necessary dedication and commitment.
The
finest
winemaking can
only be a labor
of love – and so
it was for a man
who had long
dreamed
of
returning
to
the roots.
In
Moretti’s
own
words, “I like to
remember what
Vittorio Moretti
my
grandfather
taught me.
I
used to give him a hand on the old family farm during the summer months, and treasured not
merely his very sound practical advice, but his far-sightedness in realizing the private and public
benefit that can arise from safeguarding and improving the land. It was his example that inspired
me to invest the first profits I made in the construction business – we’re talking the early 1970s – in
the vineyard. At the time, mine was considered an eccentricity, offering high risks and uncertain
returns. The challenge, however, proved fruitful: my determination to see Franciacorta become a
model of winemaking excellence has turned out to be a winning move, and one of durable success.”
Thanks to Vittorio Moretti and his team (in primis Italy’s Enologist of the Year 2008, Mattia
Vezzola), the bollicine of Bellavista can compete with the best Champagne. What makes them
unique is the winery’s consistent search of the “absolute flavor”, that desired perfection arising
from tireless research, doing things again and again until they are just right, comparing data from
vintage to vintage, resorting to manual practices, fine-tuning the cuvées. The ultimate objective is
attaining the utmost possible quality at every point in the process; quality with a distinct and clearly
defined style – call it character, taste or personality – one that is immediately recognizable. The
Empson & Co. SpA • Marketing Communications • www.empson.com • Via Mosè Bianchi, 41 • 20149 Milano, Italy
idea of Bellavista style then eventually led to the idea of issuing a literary award under the
Bellavista aegis… But that is another story…
F
FA
AC
CTTSS A
AN
ND
DF
FIIG
GU
UR
RE
ESS
Bellavista comprises 187 hectares (462 acres)
under vine, spread out over ten townships of
Franciacorta: 107 plots for 107 vineyards, each of
which is lovingly tended and studied, each of
which supplies a given shade and nuance of the
Bellavista style. Together, they yield 1,300,000
bottles.
The
monumental
scale
of
operations
nevertheless rests on the artisanal detail of
manual work: manual harvest, remuage by hand –
rotating the bottles 1/8 of a turn at a time for four
Mattia Vezzola, Italy’s
Winemaker of the Year 2008
weeks – manual dégorgement…
There is no single harvest, rather distinct,
phased out harvests according to each vineyard’s
given exposure. Only the free-run – the first three of five pressings – goes into the Bellavista
Franciacortas, and the must ferments in 1,200 pièces, small oak barrels of 228 liters, the youngest
of which are seven years old, the oldest twenty.
Every year, there is a palette of approximately 100 selections, the exceptional raw material that
is orchestrated into the great Bellavista cuvées.