Pievalta
The Pievalta estate is located in the municipality of Maiolati Spontini, in the Marche region, in the heart of the Castelli di Jesi. This area is famous for its small fortified medieval villages as well as for the production of wines made from the Verdicchio grape.
Silvano Brescianini, the manager of the Barone Pizzini winery (Franciacorta region), founded the Pievalta winery in 2002. Already at that time, he saw the great potential of the Verdicchio grape variety. Establishing and operating a vineyard outside its own appellation seemed to him the obvious and logical step to take.
He then turned to the young Milanese oenologist Alessandro Fenino who had previously helped him for a few years on this estate in Lombardy; he was the right man to set up a new winery, immediately setting himself to an in-depth analysis of the Verdicchio grape. Fenino had been cultivating the existing vineyards organically since 2003 - that is, since the beginning - the first certified vintage being that of 2006. As early as 2005, he also adopted biodynamic viticulture and in 2008, he presented the first certified Demeter vintage. Since 2018, all wines carry the certified label "Biodyvin" instead of Demeter.
White wines from Pievalta
from Pievalta
The estate extends over 26.5 hectares, 21.5 hectares of which are in Maiolati Spontini, around the winery. Maiolati Spontini is situated on the left bank of the river Esino. Wines from this side of the river are known for their minerality, freshness and fruitiness; many vines were planted there in the 1970s. Today, the vines are cultivated at a higher density and by applying modern vinification systems. Maiolati's soils consist mainly of clay and of limestone.
The other and smaller vineyard lies in the San Paolo di Jesi area, in the village of Follonica. Situated at high altitude, well aerated and known for its classic granite sandstone, the commune of Castelli di Jesi is an ideal place for the production of subtle wines.
In spite of the great operational challenges involved, almost all operations in the vineyards are carried out by hand. The work in the winery is always guided by the motto "As little intervention as possible in natural processes" to ensure that the characteristics of the grapes and those of the terroir stand out first and continue to develop.
Producer
Fattoria Nicodemi / Fam. Nicodemi
Between the deep blue of the Adriatic Sea to the east and the snowy peaks of the Gran Sasso to the west you find the rolling and charming landscape of Abruzzo. On a hilltop lies the pretty village of Notaresco and not far from it the winery of Elena and Alessandro Nicodemi.
André Clouet / Jean François Clouet
We didn’t find the low house, dating from the 17th century, straight away, even though the village of Bouzy is not very large. Modest buildings are grouped around a courtyard, behind which a vineyard lies, similar to a clos.
Distillerie Tessendier & Fils
Grape growers, producers of Cognac and innovative spirits
“Time is of the essence for creating high-quality spirits” (Jérôme Tessendier)
The Tessendier & Fils Distillery, established in 1880, is a family-run business based in Cognac and Jarnac, on the banks of the Charente, which produces a diverse portfolio of high-quality Cognacs (see Cognac Park) with a modern twist. The heirs, Jérôme and Lilian Tessendier, have succeeded in modernising the family business in the face of the international dimension of the market: first by creating their own brand of Cognac, then by drawing on their ancestral savoir-faire to refine other types of spirits. This knowledge was forged over time, improved from generation to generation and is now shared by the Tessendier Distillery through three Cognac series (Park, Campagnère, Grand Breuil), each with its own unique character, its own history.