In a land of ancient civilizations – full of art, history, and a landscape characterized by oaks, chestnut trees, olive trees, pines, vineyards, among hills dotted with cypresses – lies the Ridolfi winery.
Founded in 2011, the Ridolfi farm actually dates back centuries. It was the property of the historic Ridolfi family, nobles from Florence who had considerable land holdings in Montalcino. Ridolfi’s oenologist Gianni Maccari, a former student of Sangiovese great Giulio Gambelli, joined the Ridolfi team a few years ago after many years of experience in other well-known Montalcino estates.
The Estate
The Estate is situated in the locality of “Mercatali”, which during the 5th and 6th centuries marked the hub of a large annual market. Indeed, a three-floor section made of stone and tuff that dates back to that era is still preserved in one of the farmhouses.
It rises on the slope of a hill in the very heart of Tuscany, 300 metres above sea level near the famous “Brunello Road”. It comprises 30 hectares of land, 11.4 of which dedicated to Brunello vines, 6.5 hectares to Chianti Colli Senesi and 1 hectare to Rosso di Montalcino, plus 700 olive trees of the Correggiolo variety.
All the Ridolfi vineyards are on the North-East slope of the Montalcino hill. The clones used are mainly suited for long ageing. Vines that are more than 15 years of age are trained with the spurred cordon system using the two bud pruning with four spurs technique. Vines planted after 2013 are trained using the simple Guyot technique. The bunches are thinned three times throughout the season: during the setting phase, the veraison phase and at the end of the ripening phase. The grapes obtained from the last thinning are used to produce Rosé Brut. The soil structure is Kaiapoi silt loam. It has a fertile soil profile, which borders the Opawa river. As you move north, away from the river, the soils become more clay loam in structure.
Owner Giuseppe Peretti and his love for Montalcino
“For a long time I was evaluating some wineries in the area that had been offered to me”, Giuseppe Peretti (Owner of Ridolfi) explains, “I chose this one because it was the right size, neither too big nor too small. However, it lacked adequate facilities; for this reason, I immediately started working on designing a new cellar, trying to expand the vineyard area a little”. Giuseppe Peretti is head of one of the most important groups in the Italian leather tanning industry: the group that bears his name is based in the Valle del Chiampo district, in Veneto.
To him, wine is a passion and Montalcino is a love that dates back to the 1970s. It’s not just any other territory. He has since left the winemaking into the skilled hands of Gianni Maccari.
Gianni Maccari is one of the last disciples of Giulio Gambelli, whom many believe was the greatest Tuscan winemaker of all time. When owner Giuseppe brought Maccari on board, he offered him carte blanche. Maccari immediately set about building a brand-new, state-of-the-art winemaking facility, purchasing casks (mostly large-format Botti from top French, Austrian, and Italian coopers), and introducing organic growing practices in the vineyard. Today, the winery is one of the top Brunello producers in the region!
The Wines of Ridolfi
Focusing on a traditional style of wines, Ridolfi’s Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino are highly acclaimed by wine critics worldwide.
