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 refers to the number of days: exactly 120 days of ageing on the fine lees following the second fermentation in the autoclave. In the Charmat method, this is unusual – a level of patience more commonly associated with the Metodo Classico, but which has been deliberately applied to Prosecco here. The name La Rivetta refers to Villa Sandi’s most famous location: 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-harvested, maximum yield 120 Doppelzentner per hectare. Gentle whole-bunch pressing, controlled fermentation at 15–16 °C – followed by 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.

Cartizze covers just over 100 hectares, and right in the middle of it, between Santo Stefano and San Pietro di Barbozza, lies Villa Sandi's La Rivetta vineyard. The slopes are steep and, in places, difficult to access; the vines are tended by hand, just as one would in a garden. The soil dates from the Miocene period; it is sandy, with calcareous sandstone and clay. Behind the estate stands the Polegato family: the grandfather purchased his first vineyards in the early 1920s. In the late 1970s, his grandsons Mario and Giancarlo acquired a villa in Crocetta del Montello, dating from 1622, which had once hosted Napoleon, and were among the first to export Prosecco abroad. The grapes are harvested in mid-September. The whole grapes are fed into the pneumatic press and gently pressed; the must is racked once. The second fermentation takes place at 15 to 16 degrees and is halted by cooling as soon as the alcohol and sugar levels are correct.