Santus Franciacorta

Franciacorta is Italy's traditional-method sparkling region — same grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir), same method, fuller body. Citrus, stone fruit, cream, toast. Built for the dinner table.

Santus is a small estate at Passirano in the province of Brescia. Maria Luisa Santus and Gianfranco Pagano, both agronomists, planted around 60,000 vines across ten hectares in three years. They still run the place. The vineyards sit on morainic soil, farmed organically, and the output is about 50,000 bottles a year.

This Brut is 80 percent Chardonnay and 20 percent Pinot Nero, all from the estate's own vines. The house picks late to get ripe fruit and presses gently after a short spell on skins. Part of the base wine ferments in steel and part in tonneaux. Santus makes no cuvées, so every bottle is a single vintage. It then spends at least 21 months on lees in bottle before disgorging with four grams of sugar.

Serve it at eight to ten degrees. It works as an aperitif but is better with fish, white meats or cheese.