Vigna 1922, an interpretive approach

Many great archeological discoveries have taken place by chance: the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Terracotta Army and ancient mummies are some examples. This is also true in the world of wine but too often nothing comes out of it. This is not the case with Vigna (Vineyard) 1922, which can be considered an interpretive tool to comprehend Italy’s winemaking patrimony and that of Romagna in particular. This vineyard has also put into question some historic beliefs about Sangiovese, something which is always interesting.

It all began during a walk down a rather steep slope on land owned by Paola Costa who, with her husband Maurizio, had acquired San Martino in Monte farm, in the town of Modigliana, but without any intention of producing wine. It was the year 2001 and a fall down this slope led to the discovery of alberello-trained vines hidden within the vegetation. This was the foundation for Vigna 1922, a vineyard, a wine and an ancient dream. The foresight of putting the vineyard’s restoration in the hands of the young and promising agronomist-enologist Francesco Bordini is evident in the following ten-year vertical tasting.

Historical research has dated the vineyard back to the second decade of the 20th century. More important, a close examination of the dead vines showed how they has been grafted onto wild rootstocks (rupestris pura), an indication of how this must have been a modern vineyard for its time and was developed after the phylloxera plague that devastated European vineyards. The first year after the vineyard’s discovery was dedicated to a census of the existing vines and pruning them so they could produce a balanced yield by 2004. At the same time, however, the available grapes were used to make wine starting in 2002. It was evident that the vineyard originally had a high density with a vine every 1.2meters square before someone had the crazy idea to replant and industrialize the vineyard in the 1970s.

The vineyard hosts a number of grape varieties including Trebbiano, Sangiovese, Colorino and Ciliegiolo that have demonstrated an incredible resistance to disease (being so old helps). Another unusual thing about this vineyard is that the vines had few leaves, which created problems in particularly sunny years. The soil is for the most part sandy and the Sangiovese from the town of Modigliana is known for its elegance. The wine ages for a few years in tonneaux barrels, only some of which are new wood.

Here are the vintages tasted and their respective ratings, followed by reviews of those that were the most impressive.

- Vigna 1922 2002 Forlì Sangiovese Igt: 90/100
- Vigna 1922 2003 Sangiovese di Romagna Doc: 85/100
- Vigna 1922 2004 Sangiovese di Romagna Doc: 96/100
- Vigna 1922 2005 Sangiovese di Romagna Doc: 92/100
- Vigna 1922 2006 Sangiovese di Romagna Doc: 96/100
- Vigna 1922 2007 Sangiovese di Romagna Doc: 88/100
- Vigna 1922 2008 Sangiovese di Romagna Doc: 94/100
- Vigna 1922 2010 Sangiovese di Romagna Doc: 88/100
- Vigna 1922 2011 Sangiovese di Romagna Doc: 95/100

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