THE PLACE
Topographical landmark over the centuries, has kept its magic intact.
THE TENUTA
Tenuta La Palazza, in Massa di Vecchiazzano, is a country residence surrounded by rolling hills of vineyards and with a breathtaking view from which the old Predappio and the city of Forlì can be glimpsed and, on a clear day, the eye can wander as far as the Adriatic Sea.
An ancient watchtower in the 15th century, at the time of Caterina Sforza, since the 1920s it has been the residence of the Drei Donà Counts who guard its evocative beauty.
The estate, which has always been a place of production of Sangiovese, thanks to its fortunate location and the exceptional nature of the soil, holds centuries of stories about the art of making wine.
This world of stories, secrets, cellar enchantments, can be heard, if one is lucky, in the conversations of the Drei Donà family with friends, collaborators, and passing guests.
A small ancient world that produces some of the most prestigious Italian wines and beyond, and that has been able to welcome and enhance avant-garde insights and visions, a unique place suspended between past and future.
Sangiovese grapes tell centuries of history and represent the cultural identity of our land.
THE LAND
The land of Predappio, where Tenuta La Palazza is located, is the land of Sangiovese, the grape variety par excellence in Romagna.
Sangiovese, precisely in Predappio, has found a particular area of election and has been a protagonist of the history, life and economy of the territory since time immemorial. We have evidence of this since the time of the ancient Romans and Etruscans, so much so that the Etruscan word for wine-about 3,000 years ago-was Sanisva, which has an extraordinary assonance with the word with which Sangiovese wine is still referred to in the Romagna dialect today: “Sanzvé.”
Even before the 15th century, winemaking in Predappio was strictly regulated to preserve its excellence, with fines for those who did not fence in the vineyard or begin harvesting before the times set by the college of elders. As early as the late 19th century, then, the production of local wineries was awarded for the high quality of Sangiovese at the Universal Exhibition in Paris.
The historical importance of the Predappio DOC within the Romagna DOC was finally recognized in 2011 when 12 subzones were established to emphasize the specific characteristics of each terroir.
A precious heritage, guarded with respect and gratitude, to produce wines of character and soul.
THE VINEYARDS
Of the 23 hectares of the property, conducted according to the dictates of organic and biodynamic agriculture, most are naturally dedicated to Sangiovese, the prince grape of the Predappio DOC.
Alongside these, in the mid-1980s, Count Claudio Drei Donà planted – as a true pioneer – the first polyclonal vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon in Romagna and a vineyard of Chardonnay and Riesling from which he created two wines – Magnificat and Tornese- that have marked the history of viticulture in Romagna.
A few rows of precious, 100-year-old prefilossera vines still exist on the estate, which, in some vintages, are vinified in terracotta amphorae.
The estate is located in the northern part of the Predappio DOC area, at an altitude of about 150 meters above sea level, on soils of Pliocene origin with a limestone-clay base, alluvial terraces on blue clays with a significant presence of sand.
A single body composed of three farms with southern and southeastern exposures, in which coexist, in addition to the vine, a multitude of Mediterranean plants: maritime pines, linden trees, acacias, cherry trees, almond trees, peach trees, white mulberries and others.
