The remembrance
Two generations linked
to the land and to a intuition
The first generation
Bortolo Faccoli was the grandfather: farmer
on Iseo Lake. His son Lorenzo bought a level estate
in the middle of the plain of Brescia with a farm
not yet served by electricity and water.
His wife, Maria, however, born in front of a lake,
refused to move to a so foggy place.
So they came on Mount Orfano, in
Coccaglio: it was 1963, Franciacorta
was in its infancy and viticulture
in progress at all.
During that year, Lorenzo obtained 12 hectoliters of wine
from grapes of an existing vineyard, making wine
on his own and sold by measure. He planted trees,
he sold fruits, arranged the terraces
and planted vineyards of chardonnay and pinot blanc,
according to the recommendations of the new registered
designation of Franciacorta origin. In 1970 he already bottled
a part of his own wine and in 1979 all 300 hectoliters produced
came from the company in bottles.
The advent of the “bubbles” in Franciacorta
During the seventies, Franciacorta acquired
more territorial identity, and the first
sparkling wines appeared. Lorenzo quickly calculated:
a demijohn was worth thirty-thousands liras,
the same amount 6 Franciacorta bottles were sold for!
Producing Spumante the company would have
grown even further: the time
had come for an alternation.
The second generation
The year 1983 marks a significant change
in Faccoli house. The company decided to focus
on the bubbles, and both Gian Mario and Claudio
started working in the company. While Gian Mario
took care of the vineyards, Claudio assigned
a sales director to structure a sales network.
In expectation of increasing orders,
the company bought more technological
equipment for wine-making and expected
the investment to begin to pay off. The results,
however, were overdue.
In 1989 they produced 15.000 bottles
of still white and red wine and 30.000 of bubbles,
but the revenues were too low, and the two
brothers were forced to change strategy:
they decided to abandon the idea of the sales
network and to start on their own, trusting
only their own intuitions.
A first problem to resolve was the amount
of physical work involved in the management of 45.000
bottles in the old small cellar: they needed more time
to devote to the care of products and customers.
1989 was the year when the wine cellar was expanded
of further 400 square meters, bringing it
to the current 850, and Claudio began to
personally manage their business contacts,
with the invaluable help of his wife Stefania
for administrative purposes.
It was also the year that
the first Vintage 10 Anni, officially came up,
as a product of synthesis of Faccoli style.
The 2000s
In 1990, they uprooted the old red vines
of Cabernet Merlot Barbera and Nebbiolo and
they concentrated the production in 10.000 bottles
of still white wine and 35.000 bottles
of bubbles. In 1998 the first Dosage Zero borns.
Since 2000 the Faccoli brothers produce
only bubbles.
Today the company produces 50.000 bottles
of Franciacorta a year in the types
Rosé Brut, Extra Brut, Brut, Dosage
Zero e Vintage 10 Anni.
The company today
With Mario, Claudio and Stefania
also the children of the latter move the first steps
in the company, Francesca and Giorgio.
They will have the task of passing
on the family wine-making tradition.
