Countryside in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

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Inside the Manzoni Theater in Milan, Italy

Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

At the young age of 31, Gian Vittorio Baldi won an award for Best Short Film at the majestic Manzoni Theater, with its celestial, golden ceiling in the epicenter of beauty, Milan, located in northern Italy. A city that is not only known for exquisite architecture, such as Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which turns a shopping gallery into art, but in the late 1950s, Milan Fashion Week was founded, bringing models from around the world that refined fashion and their own concept of beauty. As one can imagine, as Gian Vittorio became more famous as an Italian film director, the sophisticated Italian world could have easily become his oyster.

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Italy

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But he had many passions: painting, writing and winemaking. It could be more accurate to say that he had a passion for the land, especially his home – the region of Emilia-Romagna.

In the 1970s, Gian Vittorio grew the famous Sangiovese red grape variety among the Romagna hills, where he was one of the first to recognize the outstanding potential for great Sangiovese red wines in the sub-region of Modigliana; today, it is considered one of the best places outside of Tuscany to find high-quality Sangiovese wines.

Masters Shaping A Region

Ronchi di Castelluccio

Ronchi di Castelluccio

Gian Vittorio founded the winery Ronchi di Castelluccio in Modigliana and consulted with the iconic Luigi Veronelli, an extremely influential journalist who was a defender of artisanal producers, who told him to focus on single-vineyard bottlings because of the fantastic diversity of terroir in the area. A local agronomist who was an expert in Sangiovese, Remigio Bordini, assisted Gian Vittorio in managing the vineyards and picking the ideal Sangiovese clones for each site so that the wonderfully diverse terroir in Modigliana would openly express each vineyard in the various bottlings. Like many of the Italian wine producers Luigi Veronelli championed, Ronchi di Castelluccio would have a cult following that was not part of the bigger limelight dominated by larger wineries and corporations, and still today, those wines from the 1970s, of which there is still quite the collection in the cellars, are magnificent and fresh, showing the incredible ageability of these wines.

Ronchi di Castelluccio estate

Ronchi di Castelluccio

It was highly unorthodox, especially back then, for a wine producer in an obscure region to make single-vineyard bottlings and use costly organic practices in the vineyards. But Gian Vittorio was known as a man who never compromised on the purity of expression, which was evident in the manifesto he wrote about filmmaking which illustrated his commitment to the use of only hand-held cameras, natural lighting and no manipulative editing, as well as other things.

Gian Vittorio Baldi would have to sell Ronchi di Castelluccio in his golden years. Still, with any passion project that refuses to compromise, even at the risk of losing out on profits, the property became greatly neglected over time under the ownership of others. An acclaimed property that was instrumental in establishing Mondigliana in Emilia-Romagna as an ideal place to make soulful, excellent Sangiovese wines started to slide into obscurity tragically.

Those Who Change The World

Paolo and Aldo Rametta

Ronchi di Castelluccio

Fortunately, two brothers, Paolo and Aldo Rametta, who were raised around the world as their father was constantly moving for work, had a dream as far back as they could remember to have their own Italian winery and vineyards. Since they felt that Romagna was their true motherland, they knew that eventually, after they earned enough money in their renewable energy and finance careers, they could buy a property, and hence, always kept their eyes open.

An opportunity they could have never imagined arrived with the sale of Ronchi di Castelluccio, as they knew the property well as they were Sangiovese lovers. Right from the beginning, they created a small team devoted to bringing the vineyards and winery back to its former glory, with Francesco Bordini, Remigio Bordini’s son but who is famous in his own right, at the helm. Francesco became the first person to map the diversity of various plots and soil types in Romagna.

Buco del Prete Vineyard surrounded by lush woods on a slope that is 1,000 feet above sea level

Ronchi di Castelluccio

The Rametta brothers have made many key decisions that point to the fact that they are only concerned with making the highest quality Sangiovese from this estate, as not only did they hire Francesco Bordini, but they have brought back organic and sustainable practices as well as the bottling of single vineyards. They also bought another property in Romagna, Poggio della Dogana, that produces a native white grape variety, Albana, which was at one time, according to Aldo, on the verge of becoming a “lost variety” and they are part of the movement in making Albana the top white wine, right by Sangiovese’s side, in the Romagna area with its high acidity giving it potential to age and a salinity that Aldo says is like a “memory from the sea.”

All of these men who were part of Ronchi di Castelluccio’s journey to becoming a North Star for the region have taken on many undesirable challenges as they knew the tough road was the only way forward. They understood very early on that only those who are content with their surroundings can live a happy, comfortable life. Yet those fiercely unhappy with their surroundings can change the world, and those who change the world should not be forgotten. And that is what the Rametta brothers intend, to keep the legend of Gian Vittorio Baldi alive as not only was he a filmmaker who never compromised, but a man with a passion for the land that has made Sangiovese from Modigliana the beacon of beauty that it is today.

Ronchi di Castelluccio lineup of wines

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Red wines from Ronchi di Castelluccio:

2020 Ronchi di Castelluccio, Buco del Prete Single Vineyard, Sangiovese Modigliana, Romagna DOC, Emilia-Romagna, Italy: 100% Sangiovese from the single vineyard of Buco del Prete. Bright, vibrant aromas of red cherry, violets and orange peel that is electrifying in its clarity of expression with layers of complexity unraveling in the mouth with fresh leather, sandalwood and wild mountain herbs with flavors of black cherry granita and an energetic linear drive finishing with fine tannins.

2020 Ronchi di Castelluccio, Ronco della Simia Single Vineyard, Romagna DOC Sangiovese Modigliana, Emilia-Romagna, Italy: 100% Sangiovese from the single vineyard of Ronco della Simia. A nose that cast a spell with cocoa dust, potted plants, blackberry turnovers and black raspberry liqueur all wrapped up with baking spices that is round and broad on the palate with a long, flavorful finish.

White wines from Ronchi di Castelluccio and Poggio della Dogana:

2021 Ronchi di Castelluccio ‘Sottovento’ Sauvignon Blanc, Rubicone IGT Bianco, Emilia-Romagna, Italy: 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Gian Vittorio Baldi felt that the local white variety Albana didn’t do so well on the Ronchi di Castelluccio estate, so he planted Sauvignon Blanc instead. The vineyards are located over 1,600 feet above sea level and within the haven of a forest, as for every 2.5 acres of vineyards, there are 10 acres of woods. Pretty nose of honeysuckle and nectarine skin with hints of sage leaf and wet stones with juicy fruit on the palate that finishes with a delectable salty almond note.

2022 Poggio della Dogana ‘Belladama’ Albana Secco, Romagna DOCG

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2022 Poggio della Dogana ‘Belladama’ Albana Secco, Romagna DOCG, Emilia-Romagna, Italy: 100% Albana from the single vineyard of Brisighella reaching up to 1,000 feet above sea level. Enticing notes of lemon confit, citrus blossom and a saline minerality make one yearn for the sea with subtle flavors of nectarine and chamomile tea on the palate with a fierce mineral finish and mouthwatering acidity that is impressive.