The Vistorta estate, which cultivates 220 hectares of land around the villa, has been managed by Brandino Brandolini d’Adda since 1980. A graduate in Agricultural science at the Texas A. & M. University, and following a first wine-making experience in
The Vistorta estate, which cultivates 220 hectares of land around the villa, has been managed by Brandino Brandolini d’Adda since 1980. A graduate in Agricultural science at the Texas A. & M. University, and following a first wine-making experience in another family-owned estate, Chateau Greysac in Bordeaux, Brandino planned a renovation of the Vistorta estate following the French model, that is by concentrating on one great red wine. The decision to use Merlot, a variety originating in Bordeaux and brought to Friuli a century ago, was not made by chance, and It was perfectly suited to the Vistorta “terroir”.
The objective was to count on a large number of plants per hectare, that is some 4,000/5,000 plants with a low fruit yield per plant. These meticulous operations, at the end of September, before the autumn rains, allow for the harvesting of healthy, ripe and homogenous grapes. The vinification equipment is housed in a 18th century winery, where are used the most advanced oenological technologies.
The ripe grapes, after soft crushing and fermentation, are left to macerate for a period of 18 to 25 days after which the best time for racking is decided through temperature control and recurrent tastings . The aim is to extract the soft tannins, avoiding any astringency. Part of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in new barriques where the wine’s freshness meets the wood’s elegance.