Villa Sandi

In 2019, UNESCO declared the Prosecco hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene a World Heritage Site. Not because of the wine – but because of the landscape that produces it: steep moraine slopes, stepped in terraces, calcareous soil with marl and clay, lapped by a breeze from the Adriatic Sea. Villa Sandi cultivates over eighty hectares of its own land in this World Heritage area – and for decades has been one of the addresses that have secured Prosecco's reputation as a serious sparkling wine. 100% Glera, hand-picked, pneumatic pressing. Fermentation at a controlled 15–16 °C according to the Charmat method – gentle, flavour-preserving, typical of the region. The Millesimato is a promise of quality: The grapes from one vintage are so good that they do not need to be blended across vintages – they stand on their own every year.

The 120 in the name stands for the days: exactly 120 days of maturation on the fine yeast particles after the second fermentation in the autoclave. This is unusual in the Charmat process – a patience that is more familiar from the Metodo Classico, but which is deliberately applied to Prosecco here. The name La Rivetta refers to Villa Sandi's most famous address: its own vineyard in Cartizze, the Grand Cru of Valdobbiadene. The 120 does not come from Cartizze – but from the surrounding hills of San Pietro di Barbozza, on morainic soils with calcareous sandstone and clay. 100% Glera, hand-picked, maximum yield 120 quintals per hectare. Gentle whole bunch pressing, controlled fermentation at 15–16 °C – then the aforementioned 120 days.

Of the 43 classified Rive sites in the Valdobbiadene area, San Pietro di Barbozza is considered one of the most demanding. The hills of morainic origin, steep, difficult to access, with calcareous soils of loam and clay – they lie in the direct neighbourhood of Cartizze, the appellation's most famous Grand Cru. Not a bad neighbour. The demanding manual harvest is carried out exclusively from the highest, sunniest plots – deliberately selected for concentration and flavour. Only the best grapes from each vintage qualify for the limited Rive bottling. Gentle whole-cluster pressing, fermentation at a controlled temperature, second fermentation using the Charmat method – with a residual sugar content of less than 6 g/l = extra brut.