From when I took full responsibility of the estate nearly 30 years ago, I have always worked for the full understanding and representation of it’s identity; I am always asking myself why a person would choose to buy a bottle of our wine and I must determine the answer to this question. In my opinion, there are no ‘best wines’ in absolute terms; the wines must always be contextualized, taking into consideration the terroir, the vintage and, ultimately, the grape variety.

In this sense, every wine is unique in identity and to find its place on the market and within a menu or a day is a very important part of my work.

I am lucky because I know I'm in a place suitable for making wine, but not for all types of wine. I inherited the estate and quickly understood that the vines can and will outlive me and the fact that today I am responsible for them is random and limited in time; being a custodian to the land and preserving the environment rather than imposing myself on nature was a spontaneous choice. From here the decision to farm organically was born; for a type of agriculture that contains the value of respect for "the living". 

Respect is a very important word for me and contains many connotations, such as responsibility, ethics, and awareness.
Respect and responsibility first, for my parents who had a dream, which they realized and handed over to me. With our grapes, the must becomes wine through spontaneous fermentation, without any use of chemistry, just time and patience. For my collaborators, everyone is employed directly.

When looking for suppliers, whether they are supplying our corks or pumps, I search for artisans who work to keep the approach of past generations alive. This is the true movement of Italy. When selling our wine, I want to apply just pricing for our clients. Though sometimes deemed low when taking into consideration the dedication and patience in our process, it is a sufficient price to pay for reinvesting in and the continuation of our ongoing projects and dreams for the farm.

German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer once wrote, "Culture is the only good of humanity that divided between us all, instead of diminishing, will become greater." It is a concept that I put into practice everyday, sharing what little I know with all those who are willing to lend an ear; the visitors at the estate, my colleagues, the interns we host every year, the Chilean winemakers I have met with a treasure in front of them that has yet to be appreciated - theirs is another story, at our latitude but in another hemisphere…

Elena Pantaleoni

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