Noelia Ricci is a dream translated into vision. A tribute to the classic style with a contemporary approach – respecting the land’s natural inclination and going back to the way farmers used to make Sangiovese wine in Romagna, in the area of Predappio. They strive to make wines of a fine structure, strong personality and complexity, while maintaining an inviting approach and pursuing drinkability.
History
Noelia Ricci is a project started in 2010 within Pandolfa, an estate rich in history and stretching over 140 hectares at the foot of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, just a few kilometres away from Predappio.
From 1626–1941, the estate was owned by Marchesi Albicini. In 1941, the property was taken over by Commendator Giuseppe Ricci, an entrepreneur from Forlì. In the years of World War Two, Pandolfa’s happy times came to an abrupt end, going from the Marchesi’s holiday home to the tragic events of the war period.
The estate was occupied by the Germans and then attacked by the Polish army, while its cellars were opened to give shelter to refugees. In the fifties, after peace was finally restored, Giuseppe Ricci undertook extensive renovation works on the estate, encouraging the involvement of famous local artists, who created works of art honouring the land’s heritage and history.
Ricci also focused on the estate’s agricultural production. He bought two adjoining farms and, after years of totally modifying the land’s orography, he planted the first vines of Sangiovese, Trebbiano and Albana grapes.
Upon Ricci’s death in 1980, his daughter Noelia, after whom the whole project was named, was the first to realize the potential of these hills and started planting new vineyards and building a winery.
Pandolfa is now owned by Noelia’s grand-daughter, Paola Piscopo, who used all her enthusiasm to restore the estate.
Today, one of her children, Marco Cirese, a fourth-generation member of the family, has picked up the threads of this story. His intention is to transform the winery into a place of excellence, weaving together the family’s history and that of the land and engaging in an ongoing dialogue with local traditions and native grape varieties.
