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Antinori (Tenuta Montenisa), 'Marchese Antinori' Cuvée Royale Franciacorta NV

SparklingItalyNV

By Daniel Min · Tasted 2019-11-13 · Published 2026-09-15 · Updated 2026-09-15

In one paragraphAntinori's (Tenuta Montenisa) 'Marchese Antinori' Cuvée Royale Franciacorta is a non-vintage sparkling wine from Marchesi Antinori, made in the Franciacorta DOCG in Lombardy, Italy. It's Chardonnay-led (78%) with Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco, made by traditional bottle-fermented method (metodo classico), 12.5% alcohol and 2g/L residual sugar — a dry style. The Vivino community rated it 3.9 on average from 9,967 ratings (60% at 4 stars or above), and no critic score is on file. I drank it exactly once, on 13 November 2019, and gave it 1.5 — the second-lowest score of any wine on this site (the lowest is 1.0). The flavor keywords center on tree fruit — apple and peach (320 mentions) — and citrus (214). Structure: acidity 3.9/5, fizziness 3.4. Price hasn't been confirmed (US$53 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026)).

At a glance

No critic score on file on Vivino

Market note: Antinori acquired Tenuta Montenisa from the Maggi family in 1999. Cuvée Royale is the entry-level non-vintage bottling in Montenisa's lineup, and unlike the family's still wines (such as Villa Antinori Rosso), it follows the Franciacorta DOCG sparkling wine rules.

What this wine is

This land's history runs longer than Antinori's. Records show the Calino area of Lombardy was granted to a local noble family as far back as 1158, and by the late 19th century ownership had passed to the Maggi family when Lavinia Calini married Count Gaetano Maggi. One of the Maggi descendants, Count Aymo Maggi, founded Italy's legendary Mille Miglia road race in 1927 — which is why Tenuta Montenisa's premium line today is named 'Conte Aymo' after him.

In 1999, the Antinori family — 26 generations deep, making wine in Florence since 1385 — crossed paths with the Maggi land. Antinori acquired the estate inside the Franciacorta DOCG and reorganized it as Tenuta Montenisa, and its vineyards have been the heart of Marchese Antinori's Franciacorta production ever since.

Franciacorta itself has its own story. In 1957, Guido Berlucchi released the first wine to carry the Franciacorta name, and in 1961 his winemaker Franco Ziliani made 3,000 bottles using the traditional bottle-fermented method — the region's real starting point. It reached DOC status in 1967, and in 1995 was elevated to DOCG status for its sparkling wines specifically — the first Italian designation to require the traditional bottle-fermentation method by rule. Since 2003, it has been the only Italian wine, like Champagne, not required to spell out its DOCG status on the label.

What the world says

The Vivino community rated it 3.9 on average from 9,967 ratings — 60% at 4 stars or above, 37% at 3 stars, a solidly favorable, crowd-pleasing response. It ranks 109,357th among 2.1 million Italian wines and 592nd of 2,449 wines from Antinori. No critic score is on file.

The flavor keywords lead with the tree-fruit group — green apple, apple, peach (320 mentions) — followed by citrus and lemon (214), the bread-and-nut group of brioche and toast (146), and yeast and cream (115): the classic apple-citrus-yeast profile of Franciacorta on full display. Structure: acidity a pronounced 3.9/5, fizziness 3.4, and a lighter intensity at 3.0.

"Opened at Wednesday's Calgary Vivino meetup. My second bubble. Traditional method, Chardonnay-dominant gem from Italy." — Vivino review, Jan 2024, 4.1 stars

"Fairly simple Franciacorta aperitif, did the job to prepare the palate for the Tuscan onslaught that was to come. As Franciacorta goes this was good." — Vivino review, Sept 2022, 4.0 stars

My 1.5 sits 2.4 points below that 3.9 community average. Of every wine covered on this site, only two other scores fall lower — a pair of 1.0s — which makes 1.5 the next lowest.

How I drank it

"I can't drink Italian sparkling for the time being. Did not find anything other than bubble." 13 November 2019, 1.5 stars.

That day I logged sixteen bottles at once, and set against the others, this score's lowness stands out even more. The same day I gave Dom Pérignon Brut 2008 a 5.0, Veuve Clicquot Carte Jaune a 4.5, and Charles Dauteuil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne another 4.5 — and this Franciacorta got 1.5. Even limited to the sparklings from that single day, it was the lowest score of the lot.

The note itself — 'I can't drink Italian sparkling for the time being' — might reflect more than disappointment with this one bottle; it may also carry the fatigue or comparison effect of working through several sparkling wines in a row that day, including a Prosecco (Canti, 4.0). But taken at face value, the fact stands: on a wine the community rates 3.9, I wrote that I 'did not find anything other than bubble.' Set next to the 4.5 I gave the same family's Villa Antinori Rosso Toscana 2016 the very next day, this low score reads less as a verdict on Antinori as a house and more as a verdict on this particular Franciacorta — or the conditions of that specific evening.

Vivino community data

NV vintage rating distribution (9967 ratings, average 3.9)

Most-mentioned aromas

Structure: Acidity 3.9/5 · Intensity 3.0/5 · Fizziness 3.4/5

Average by vintage (all vintages: 9967 ratings, average 3.9)

My original note (Vivino, 2019-11-13)

Frequently asked questions

Links & sources

View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher

• Tenuta Montenisa official — The Estate
• Wikipedia — Franciacorta DOCG
• Marchesi Antinori official — Tenuta Montenisa
• Vivino — wine page and community data