Cantine Pardi - Rosso di Montefalco 2014 Ml. 750

Our story begins in 1919 when the brothers Alfredo (1880-1953), Francesco (1882- 1965) and Alberto Pardi (1889-1943) establish the Cantina Fratelli Pardi (The Pardi Brothers' Winery), that was located on the ground floor of the Saint Marcus Hospital, that belonged to the stately building of Saint Francis in Montefalco.
In those times the grapes used for the production partly belonged to the family and mostly were bought from the local landowners. Both white and red wines were produced and marketed, but even then the Sagrantino, that was exclusively Passito , was very important.
The wines were sold all over Umbria ,and sometimes also out of the region, to important customers, such as the Vatican.
In 1925 at the exhibition of Oils and Wines from Umbria and Sabina in the Town Hall in Montefalco, the Pardi Brothers were awarded the silver medal for the table red wines by the Minister of National Economy.
Alberto, who was responsible for marketing, dies in 1943 and his brothers are elderly.
In the following years the founders' sons decide to enter upon a new business : they close down the winery and in 1949 establish the weaving mill Tessitura Pardi s.r.l.
The tradition and the competence of wine-growing are handed down by Rio Pardi (1914-1991): after his father Alberto's death he keeps up producing small quantities of Sagrantino Passito on the ground floor of his house in Via Mazzini in Montefalco. The Sagrantino Passito is mostly used as a gift for friends and partly is sold in his own grocery.
In 1990 Alberto and Agostino Pardi, the managers of the Tessitura Pardi, for lack of space, decide to move the weaving mill from the initial building in Montefalco in Via Giovanni Pascoli to the new works in the industrial area in Giano dell'Umbria. In 2002 Francesco, Gianluca Rio and Alberto Mario, driven by the will of the Pardi family to keep on the tradition, and with the help of their parents Agostino and Alberto, restore the building in Via Giovanni Pascoli and revive their great-grandfathers'winery. Today the same way of thinking and commitment of the family are handed down by the new generations with enthusiasm.
The Territory
Montefalco is called The Balcony of Umbria, thanks to its extraordinary geographical position: it is located on a hilltop and overlooks the valleys of the Clitunno, Topino and Tiber rivers.
After the fall of the Roman Empire some settlements sprang up, possibly on the ruins of Roman villas, and Montefalco was one of them: its first name was Coccorone.
Between late 1249 and early 1250 the settlement was called Montefalco, probably owing to the falcons of the Emperor Frederick II from Swabia. The Emperor spent a few days here , from 9th to 13th February 1240 and the evidence of his stay is shown by the arch that was built in his honour.
In 1848, after the extension of the municipal territory, Montefalco was recognized as a town by Pope Pio IX.
Montefalco is famous for the frescos of its churches and they are important references of Umbrian painting, as well as for the production of wine. In 1340 some Franciscan friars settled in the stately building of Saint Francis and started wine growing and producing .
The Municipal Statutes realized the importance and the vocation of this territory; they fixed the dates and the rules for the vintage and the sale of wine ( actually the first wine shops were near the ecclesiastical buildings )and established severe punishments for those who stole or damaged the vineyards.
Nowadays the stately building of Saint Francis is a museum and it is the symbol of the historical working environment and tools of the Montefalco wine growing and producing of those times.
The Vineyards
Our vineyards extend for about 11 hectares and are all located in Montefalco, along the gentle hills of Casale, Campolungo, Pietrauta and Lasignano.
The choice of these areas is the result of the long-lasting knowledge of our family concerning the wine vocation of this wonderful territory and we preserve this tradition with loyalty and constancy.
Together with the renowned Sagrantino, the autochthonous vine from Montefalco, we grow also grapes with red berries, typical of the area, such as Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot ; these grapes, together with Sagrantino, make up the Montefalco Rosso DOC. The Grechetto, Chardonnay and Trebbiano Spoletino vines, with white berries, make up the white wine Colle di Giove DOC.
All the vines are grown with spurred cord and the plant density is 4500-5000 vines per hectare.
We are very respectful of the quality, the rules and the regulations of production , as well as of our family way of thinking and therefore the whole process of cultivation is strictly made by hand, such as pruning, defoliation, the thinning of bunches and harvest.
The Winery
Our present winery begins in 2003 in Montefalco beneath the ancient walls and is for the whole production of wine, from the cultivation and the wine-making process to the marketing of the wines.
The wine-making room is equipped with stainless steel tanks and is used for the fermentation of the red and white musts and for the preservation of the wines.
An underground room is kept for the ageing of the wines; it is equipped with French barriques and, according to tradition, with big oak barrels from the Alps and Slavonia.
Here are bottled and aged the great wines of controlled and guaranteed origin , such as Sagrantino Secco and Passito from Montefalco DOCG, Rosso DOC and Bianco DOC.