LA SABBIONA

Among some of the most unique experiences I had while living in Italy were tasting varietals practically unheard of to the US market. The opportunity to present these grapes in Massachusetts is one of the most exciting aspects of what I am doing. It’s very rewarding to be able to support friends who have made the bold choices to promote long lost varietals that are barely even known in their own regions.

At La Sabbiona, Mauro Altini and his family have made such choices, and we thank them for that. Mauro grows Sangiovese just like many other producers near Faenza, a city in eastern Emilia Romagna. Where he differs is his choice to also grow both Famoso and Centesimino.

Besides being a mouthful, Centesimino is a red grape varietal grown on just a handful of farms in the world. In fact there are only about 40 acres of this varietal planted in the world. It’s a varietal (thought to have been grown in Faenza since the 17th century) that disappeared from vineyards in this area and was written off as extinct until an amazing discovery in the 1940’s.

The varietal was found growing in the courtyard of one Pietro Pianori, while all other signs of this grape were wiped out by the deadly phylloxera disease. It’s thought that the vines were protected from phylloxera by the thick, stone walls of Mr. Pianori’s “palazzo.”

Mr. Pianori’s nickname was Centesimino, which is of course where the varietal gets its name. Thankfully the vines in his courtyard were healthy enough to take clippings from so that Centesimino could again be planted on dedicated farms like La Sabbiona. When Mauro’s family bought the farm in the 60’s Centesimino plantings were already growing, but Mauro has made a tremendous effort to propagate further on the property and truly experiment with the varietal, which includes the production of a passito wine.

The story behind La Sabbiona’s other obscure varietal, Famoso, is quite similar. Historical data going back to 1437 shows that Famoso had been grown in the area for centuries. In the 1900s, it was all but abandoned and forgotten about. Thankfully, the grape hung on and survived thanks to its ability to withstand the cold and its general vigor. In the year 2000, a mere two rows were left in existence in the town of Mercato Saraceno, a tiny village between Forli and Cessena. Beyond rows these were just vines grown high in the hills, in a very remote part of Emilia Romagna.

The old farmer who had maintained these two rows called the varietal “Famoso”, simply because the damn varietal just wouldn’t go away. It was famous for its ability to survive, let’s say. Mauro caught wind of this and was able to taste a small bottling from these few remaining plants by a professor who shared Mauro’s excitement for long last varietals. After tasting Mauro was amazed by the potential for the grape has since planted the varietal on his property and helped revive one of the region’s most ancient grapes!