Buco del Prete Romagna Sangiovese from Ronchi di Castelluccio in Modigliana
I received a set of 4 wine samples from Ronchi di Castelluccio in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and was invited to a Zoom Meeting with Aldo Mario Rametta, who owns the winery with his brother.
This past summer, I learned a bit about the area as the Tour de France rode through it, and I obsessively researched the wine regions they passed through.
This was on the second day of the Tour, as the race went from Cesenatico to Bologne. I will admit that I was trying to keep the articles short this early in the race. As the race progressed, my obsessive desire to research increased, and the details in the posts became more in-depth.
I rattle off the list of the DOPs that they race through:
“Here they are in order for the day: Bosca Eliceo DOP, Romagna DOP Pagadebit, Pignoletto DOP, Romagna DOP Albana, Romagna DOP Alabana Spumante, Romagna DOP Sangiovese, Colli di Faenza DOP, Colli d’Imola DOP, Colli Bolognesi DOP, Coli Bolognesi DOP Pignoletto, and Reno DOP.”
And share a link to “a terrific map on the Enoteca Regionale Emilia Romagna site.”
Well, my early lack of depth on the region will be partially remedied now, as we will dive into the Romagna Sangiovese DOC and specifically the area of Modigliani.
Modigliana in Romagna and the Ronchi di Castelluccio Winery
I was struck as I read about the region and listened to Aldo speak that they always referred to the region as Romagna, not, as I was used to, as Emilia-Romagne. Emilia-Romagna as a region spans almost the width of the Italian Penisula from the Adriatic Sea below the Veneto and above Marche, below Lombardia and finding its western edge along Tuscany, Liguria, and Piemonte, the thin width of Liguria keeping it from touching the Mediterranean, Tyrrhenian or Ligurian Sea.
Such an expansive region is bound to have subzones within it, and Modigliana lies in the southeastern portion of the region. Here, in the foothills of the Apennine Mountains, caressed by the breezes from the Adriatic Sea, you find a small commune, about 50 kilometers southeast of Bologna in the Forli-Sesena area.
The area, inhabited since the Stone Age, was destroyed and rebuilt in the Middle Ages. But wine? Well, the region was wooded, and as high as it was in the Apennines, it was not thought to be good for vineyards.
Leave it to an Italian Film maker to think outside the box. In 1974 Gian Vittorio Baldi envisioned vineyards and a winery here and created “Ronchi di Castelluccio.”
At the time, Sangiovese in Romagna was not highly considered. The clones they planted here were specially selected, and the wines were indeed something special.
These were single-vineyard wines, which, while popular in France, had not yet taken off in Italy. The wines became iconic and sold beyond the borders of Italy.
In 2020, Aldo and his brother had the opportunity to buy the Ronchi di Castestelluccio property and jumped at the chance.
Buco del Prete – Romagna Sangiovese Modigliana DOC
This wine comes from vines planted in 1989 in a small plot in the middle of the woods. Due to their remote location, the vines went untended for decades. Surrounded by tall trees, a “hole” in the woods, the vineyard name means “Priest Hole.”
*A Priest Hole was a hiding place for priests built in England during the 1500s and 1600s. At this time in England, the Protestant Movement in England, made it high treason for a Catholic Priest to enter England, as well as for anyone to aid them. Many households hid their Catholic faith, as well as a priest. These holes were built to hide the priest quickly in case of a raid and were secreted in fireplaces and attics. I would expect this secreted vineyard amid the woods to feel like a safe and reclusive space.
The label on this bottle is stunning—a watercolor in orange, blue, and black. It depicts a view as if you were lying on the forest floor, looking at the blue sky through the tall trees ablaze with their fall colors. This conveys the feeling of this hole within the woods where the vineyard sits.
The wine is Sangiovese Grosso, and the vineyard is 300 meters (just under 1000 feet) high. The grapes were hand-harvested; there is no way to transport large equipment to the site. The wine ferments in steel for 25 days on the skins and ages 12 months in large French Oak, finally spending 6 months in bottle before release.
In the glass, the wine is a medium rub in color, with notes of tart cherry, cracked black pepper, hay, and deeper notes of spice, earth, and forest floor, evoking the painting on the label.
Notes of black cherry, juniper, dried herbs, and spice roll around on my palate, and it opens to more savory notes. It is an elegant, light, and nuanced Sangiovese that really speaks to the essence of this vineyard in the woods.
13% abv – $39.99 SRP
Pairing this Sangiovese
I wanted to gather some items for a simple board that would evoke the idea of a picnic in the woods.
I picked up some Mortadella that is popular in the region as well as Prosciutto. We had shavings of parmigiano Reggiano, pistachios, roasted red pepper, apple, pecans, roasted cherry tomatoes (cooked tomatoes always being a good bet with Sangiovese), and bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.
The couch was not as picturesque as a picnic in the woods, but it was cozy and the pairing was delicious.
More from Ronchi di Castelluccio
We have 3 more wines that we will be tasting and pairing from the Rametta Brothers. 2 more from Ronchi di Castellucio, a Sauvignon Blanc and another Sangiovese from their Ronco line.
In addition we have an Albana from their other property Poggio della Dogana.
Watch for these articles and pairings coming up!
Find more information at https://ronchidicastelluccio.com/en/
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Check out our book series, “Tempting Spoonfuls” available through Amazon!
Inspired by the flavors and aromas in wines, these books create “tempting spoonfuls” of flavors to pair with wines.
“Tempting Spoonfuls – Pairing single bites with glorious wines” – Our first book paired wines from boutique wineries on the west coast, in California, Oregon, and Washington, with delicious spoonfuls.
This book is 60 pages, 18 recipes, lots of beautiful photos, and insights into some fantastic small wineries!
“Tempting Spoonfuls – small bites paired with wines from around the Globe” – This book takes us around the globe to explore 12 wine regions, a wine from the region, and then gives you a recipe for a pairing!
A slightly larger book at 104 pages, this time you learn about pairing with a type of wine from a region. Rather than a specific bottle, you can look for a style of wine from a region and feel confident that it will go well with the recipe pairing we provide. We give you 12 recipes, each to pair with a wine.
The goal is to make your mouth water and encourage you to create your own “Tempting Spoonfuls.”
Leave a Reply