JACOPO STIGLIANO BURIANA 2019

Jacopo farms around three hectares of ancient vineyards in Valsamoggia, a series of hills between Bologna and Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Originally from the province of Bologna, wine has been everything to Jacopo since a young age and after decades travelling the world he returned to Emilia in 2018. Seeking a return to his roots, upon consulting older growers in the region, he set about discovering and restoring abandoned old vineyards in the hope of bringing energy to the territory and shining a light on the work of the vignaioli of old.  

Lined with trees, the vines are up to one hundred years of age and grow amongst woods and orchards, occasionally right up in the canopy. Harking back to a tradition of Italian agriculture celebrated in another age, they are home to over twenty varieties, making for a kind of open air library of grapes. Planted on hillsides between two hundred and three hundred metres above sea level, the soils are a mix of clay and limestone and littered with stones, lending the wines a pronounced minerality.  

Jacopo’s work in the vineyards is focused on retaining this incredible diversity. He does everything by hand and does not work the soil, trying not to interfere with these complex ecosystems. He believes that diversity brings richness and complexity to both life and wine and that each variety is planted here brings a sense of harmony.

All grapes are harvested, fermented and aged together, paying respect to the Italian tradition of the field blend and in the cantina his work is simple and precise. Believing that wine is made in the vineyard, Jacopo eschews the use of technology and bottles his wines unfiltered, with nothing added at any stage.

His complex, nourishing wines offer fascinating expressions of vineyards which are truly unique. 

In the Bolognese dialect Buriana describes a sort of melting pot of creativity. This is made up of over a dozen white grape varieties grown together, harvested together, fermented on the skins for eight days and then pressed off to concrete for a year of rest. A beautiful, bright yellow, each of the grapes seems to have added layers of complexity and intrigue. This wows with notes of citrus, minerals and herbs, fine tannins and a finish that is whistle clean.