The 2006 Franciacorta Soul Saten shows musky, masculine tones of dried apricot, exotic spice and toasted chestnut. The Chardonnay grape, in this case, has been elaborately crafted to render its most pronounced and compelling metodo classico aromas. Fine perlage is consistent and tight and the wine maintains a foamy cap. Bright citric acidity and yeasty endnotes last long in the palate. Drink: 2014-2020. Contadi Castaldi is one of the area’s most consistent producers of modern Franciacorta. Vittorio and Mariella Moretti founded the estate in the 1980s on the site of an abandoned brick factory. In fact, the underground cellars where the wines are now held once housed kilns for firing clay. Importer: Terra Moretti Trading USA; www.tmtrading-usa.com