High atop a mountain in Modigliana sits Villa Papiano, a 72ha organic farm with 10ha under vine. At 1800’ these are the highest vineyards in the region. The farm is owned by three siblings, but it is Francesco Bordini PhD. (Oenology) that is the driving force. He manages the vineyards and makes the wines and is involved in many projects in the area such as leading the first-ever soil mapping of Emilia-Romagna. The siblings bought the property, which had previously belonged to their father and converted it to organic agriculture. The wines Francesco makes from Sangiovese and Albana are the stars for me. The Sangiovese wines evolved continuously over multiple hours and were fresh and exciting for three days without losing a step. I hoped to find a great Romagna producer, but I did not think it would be as easy as talking to an old friend and colleague, Giuseppe LoCascio. Sometimes it just works out. These wines are knockouts and are way underpriced.
