Pandolfa | Noelia Ricci

In 1941 Giuseppe Ricci bought the dilapidated property, renovated it for many years and recultivated the agricultural land, even then with the idea of growing wine here. His daughter Noelia Ricci was then the driving force, planting vineyards in the early 1970s and giving Pandolfa its first recognition. At that time, however, mass was more in demand than quality. The tourists at the nearby Adriatic beaches around Rimini wanted a lot, but cheap wine. How good the Sangiovese from the hills could be, should be recognized only much later.

Noelia Ricci's daughter Paola consistently pursued her mother's visions, relying on quality and the higher, stonier layers, sedimentary rock changing from deep gray clay of the plain to light calcareous rock, interspersed with minerals and some sulphur. You can clearly see - and taste - the difference.

Today, if you leave the Autostrada that connects Bologna with Rimini at Forli and head south, the winding road to the foothills of the Apennines begins. In Fumana di Predappio stands the splendid old villa, almost like a chateau in Bordeaux, in the midst of vineyards, a typical old Italian aristocratic residence. Today it is mainly used for presentations, festivities and weddings. The striking labels of the Pandolfa wines remind us of this, as the pastel colours of the villa can be found again. The painting itself is based on a painting by the Renaissance painter Piero della Francesco, who around 1450 portrayed Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, the ruler of Rimini, with modern ironic alienation. The original is in the Louvre. The second first name gave its name to the villa and the top Sangiovese of the house.

Paola's son, Marco Cirese, is now the fourth generation to be in charge of wine production, together with his oenologist Francesco Bordini, son of the discoverer of Caberlot. He reduced the area under cultivation from 85 to 39 hectares today and eliminated the international red wine varieties - "they thrive better elsewhere". Today, Sangiovese grapes are mainly grown in near-natural vineyards, "an autochthonous clone closer to that of Brunello than to that of Chianti"which actually taste different than in Tuscany. Round, with strong but tender tannins. The result is the three pure Sangiovese Federico, Pandolfo and Riserva varieties. In addition, only a little white wine from Chardonnay and a very palatable rosé is pressed. The wines of Villa Pandolfa can probably be described as great value for money hits.

In 2010, Marco Cirese created a new wine line from the highest 9 hectares of cru sites, named after his grandmother, visionary Noelia Ricci, quasi al Hommage. Only 4,500 vines per hectare with low yield are the basis of the three Sangiovese Superiore specialities. Natural cultivation in the stony, calcareous-mineral hills of the Apennines at up to 340 metres above sea level. The sea, just a few kilometres away, provides the best ventilation during the day and is flooded at night with a cool wind from the mountains, creating a microclimate with warm days and cool nights, which ensures a crystal-clear, wonderful fruit. Some also call it the most Burgundian Sangiovese of Romagna. Anyway. "Il Sangiovese" and the Cru "Godenza" have already received the highest awards, above all the coveted "Tre bicchieri" The Gambero Rossohighest award that a wine can achieve in Italy.

Marco Cirese calls his style of Noelia Ricci wines "slow"The wine is produced in stainless steel tanks only, slowly and carefully, with the least influence in the cellar. The cultivation is close to nature, with a lot of manual work in the vineyard and manual harvesting into small boxes. In the future, organic farming will gradually be introduced. SUPERIORE.DE