Italy · Franciacorta & Curtefranca

Tenuta Martinelli

Organic Franciacorta estate founded in 2018 by three brothers at the foot of Monte Orfano, the only marine-origin Miocene hill in the Po Valley area. Six labels across sparkling and still wine from 10 hectares of colluvial and morainic soils.

The producer

Tenuta Martinelli sits at the foot of Monte Orfano, a pre-Alpine hill on Franciacorta's southwestern margin that is geologically unlike anything else in the Po Valley. Brothers Giuseppe, Fabio and Cristian Martinelli founded the estate in 2018 on 10 certified organic hectares, with vineyards spread across Cologne, Provaglio d'Iseo and Passirano. Their six-label range runs from a Brut and a Satèn to a skin-contact Extra Brut Rosé, a Dosaggio Zero, and two still wines produced under Franciacorta DOCG or the Monte Orfano DOC.

The estate is young by Italian wine standards, built from scratch rather than inherited. Its geological argument is specific and documentable: Monte Orfano's conglomerate is marine in origin and dates to the Miocene epoch, formed when this part of northern Italy was still under the sea. The rest of Franciacorta sits on morainic deposits left by glacial retreat. The Martinellis farm across both settings, their upper terraced parcels on the hill's colluvial slopes and their lower vineyards in the morainic amphitheatre below, a split of soil types that runs through the full range.

Known for

Franciacorta DOCG sparkling wine: Brut, Satèn, skin-contact Extra Brut Rosé, and Dosaggio Zero, with still wines from the Monte Orfano subzone.

Notable facts

The story

The Only Marine Hill in the Po Valley

When Giuseppe, Fabio and Cristian Martinelli chose Monte Orfano for their estate in 2018, they were not simply picking a hillside address in Franciacorta. The hill is geologically unlike anything else in the Po Valley: its conglomerate is marine in origin and dates to the Miocene epoch, formed when this part of northern Italy was still under the sea. Every other significant relief in the surrounding area sits on morainic deposits left by glacial retreat, the same material beneath the main Franciacorta plateau. The Martinellis farm across both: their upper parcels cling to the colluvial terraces on Monte Orfano's slopes, where the shallow soils drain fast and carry the hill's ancient mineral character, while their lower vineyards sit in the morainic amphitheatre below, in deeper, cooler ground. Two soil types, one 10-hectare estate, and a sparkling range built on the difference between what the sea left behind and what the glaciers did.

From the atlas

Tenuta Martinelli

At A Glance

The Producer

Tenuta Martinelli sits at the foot of Monte Orfano, a hill on Franciacorta's southwestern edge that is geologically unlike anything else in the Po Valley. Brothers Giuseppe, Fabio and Cristian Martinelli founded the estate in 2018 on 10 hectares of certified organic land, with vineyards spread across Cologne, Provaglio d'Iseo and Passirano. Their six-label range runs from a Brut and a Satèn to a skin-contact Extra Brut Rosé, a Dosaggio Zero, and two still wines, all produced under Franciacorta DOCG or the Monte Orfano DOC designations.

The estate is young by Italian wine standards, with no generations of inherited vines behind it. What it does have is a specific and documentable geological argument: the brothers built their range around a hill whose ancient seabed origin produces different soils from those of Franciacorta's main morainic plateau, and farmed them organically from day one.

Place

Franciacorta is a wine zone in Lombardy between Brescia and Lake Iseo, best known for traditional-method sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero. The DOCG designation covers a roughly circular area of glacial moraine: low rounded hills left by the retreat of the Alpine glaciers. Most Franciacorta producers sit within that morainic amphitheatre, where the soils are glacially deposited gravels, clays and silts.

Monte Orfano stands apart. A pre-Alpine hill on the appellation's southwestern margin, it is made of conglomerate rock of marine Miocene origin, formed when this part of northern Italy was still under the sea. The Franciacorta consortium includes it in the DOCG, but geologically it is a different address from the main plateau. The difference reaches the vineyard: soils on Monte Orfano's slopes are colluvial, formed by material washing down the hillside over centuries, while the lower parcels in the morainic basin below share the gravel-and-clay character of the wider appellation.

Tenuta Martinelli farms across both settings. The upper terraced parcels on the hill's colluvial slopes and the lower morainic vineyard land together make up the estate's 10 hectares, a split that maps directly onto differences in mineral character and texture across the range.

Soil And Site

The terraced colluvial soils on Monte Orfano's slopes are shallower and better drained than the morainic soils below, with a mineral substructure tied to the hill's ancient marine conglomerate. The morainic parcels carry deeper, cooler, more moisture-retentive soils composed of glacially deposited gravel, clay and silt. Between them, the two soil types give the estate access to grapes with different ripeness curves, acidity profiles and aromatic registers within the same 10-hectare area.

Story

Three brothers decided to start from scratch. Giuseppe, Fabio and Cristian Martinelli founded Tenuta Martinelli in 2018 as a new venture, not an inherited estate. They chose Monte Orfano, committed to organic farming from the outset, and planned a six-label range that would cover the main Franciacorta styles alongside still wines from the Monte Orfano subzone.

The founding decision to farm organically was not a later addition. The Franciacorta consortium records the estate's farming model as organic, and the brothers tied their commitment to biodiversity directly to their reading of Monte Orfano's geological distinctiveness. Within seven years of founding, the estate had its full range in production and was appearing in independent comparative tastings of Franciacorta producers.

A comparative tasting published by La Repubblica in June 2025 presented the Tenuta Martinelli range as a progression from creamy traditional-method wines to still wines with different registers, describing Curtè as mineral and spicy and Érman as showing jammy fruit character.

Vineyards And Cellar

The 10 hectares are certified organic, farmed across two contrasting terrains. No herbicides or synthetic fertilisers enter the colluvial terraces on Monte Orfano's slopes or the morainic plots below. The separation of soil types within the estate means harvesting decisions on each section respond to different ripeness timings.

In the cellar, the Brut's base wine ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel at 16.5°C, then spends six to seven months maturing in tank before secondary fermentation in bottle. Minimum lees ageing of 18 months develops the mousse and adds yeast character to the palate. The Satèn includes a component aged in oak, which introduces a broader, rounder quality alongside the fine perlage that lower atmospheric pressure produces in this Chardonnay-only style. The Extra Brut Rosé undergoes skin maceration with Pinot Nero before the base wine is assembled, extracting colour and some tannic grip. Lees ageing for the Rosé runs a minimum of 24 months.

Wines

The Brut, named Benedetta Buizza, is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Nero. Eighteen months minimum on the lees gives it enough development for the yeast character to integrate without overtaking the fresh, mineral line from the grapes. It is a clean, direct Franciacorta.

The Satèn is Chardonnay only, vinified at lower pressure to produce finer, creamier bubbles. The oak component in the cellar adds breadth and a softer texture than the Brut. The mousse is silkier, the palate broader.

The Extra Brut Rosé spends at least 24 months on the lees, six months longer than the Brut. Skin maceration with Pinot Nero gives it colour and a firmer mouthfeel. An independent professional tasting note described it as showing character and energy, awarding it a score that confirmed its quality in the context of the Franciacorta category.

The Dosaggio Zero receives no dosage liqueur after disgorgement, so the wine's character depends entirely on the base wine and the lees ageing. No added sweetness masks the base wine.

The still wine range includes Curtè and Érman, produced under the Curtefranca or Monte Orfano DOC. Curtè reads as mineral and spicy in character, Érman as warmer and more fruit-forward. Together they extend the range beyond sparkling, using the same Monte Orfano terroir in a different idiom.

In The Glass

The Brut opens with floral and light yeast aromas, the Chardonnay-led blend contributing stone fruit and white flower notes above the bready secondary character that 18 months on the lees builds into the bottle. On the palate the mousse is fine and persistent. Acidity is the backbone: fresh, bright, carrying the mineral character that the colluvial Monte Orfano soils introduce into the grapes. The finish is clean and moderately long.

The Satèn is softer in the same frame. Finer bubbles and a rounder texture from the oak component mean it sits wider on the palate, with less cut and more cream. The Brut's mineral freshness gives way to a more cushioned mouthfeel.

The Extra Brut Rosé is the most serious wine in the sparkling range. Skin maceration gives it colour and adds grip to the palate that the Brut and Satèn do not have. Two years on the lees brings more depth and a firmer acidity line. The wine finishes with more length and presence than the lighter styles.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Benedetta Buizza Brut. It is 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Nero, made in stainless steel to preserve freshness, aged on the lees for a minimum of 18 months. No oak, no dosage excess, no confusion about what the wine is. It shows what Monte Orfano's organic Chardonnay does in a traditional-method bottle and gives a direct read on the house style before moving to the richer Satèn or the firmer Rosé.

Anecdote

When Giuseppe, Fabio and Cristian Martinelli chose Monte Orfano for their estate in 2018, they were not simply picking a hillside address in Franciacorta. The hill is geologically unlike anything else in the Po Valley: its conglomerate is marine in origin and dates to the Miocene epoch, formed when this part of northern Italy was still under the sea. Every other significant relief in the surrounding area sits on morainic deposits left by glacial retreat, the same material beneath the main Franciacorta plateau. The Martinellis farm across both: their upper parcels cling to the colluvial terraces on Monte Orfano's slopes, where the shallow soils drain fast and carry the hill's ancient mineral character, while their lower vineyards sit in the morainic amphitheatre below, in deeper, cooler ground. Two soil types, one 10-hectare estate, and a sparkling range built on the difference between what the sea left behind and what the glaciers did.

Final Word

Tenuta Martinelli is a young estate with a clear geological argument behind it. Monte Orfano is the only marine-origin Miocene relief in the Po Valley, and the brothers farm its colluvial slopes and the morainic ground below it as distinct terroirs within a single organic estate. The Brut is the place to start. The Extra Brut Rosé is worth seeking once you know the style.

Sources

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