Leonardo Bussoletti
Leonardo Bussoletti grew up in Umbria and spent 25 years immersed in the world of wine before returning to his roots — quite literally. As a brand ambassador for wineries across central Italy, he fell in love with the region's native grapes, and by the early 2000s had committed himself fully to growing them. His guiding inspiration is Burgundy: the idea that wine, at its finest, is an honest expression of place. In the hills surrounding Narni — a breathtakingly preserved medieval town in southern Umbria — Leonardo found his terroir. To understand it deeply, he partnered with the University of Milan to research old clones of these indigenous varieties and map their historic vineyard sites. His friend and fellow traveler Federico Curtaz, a winemaker from Piedmont's Langhe, soon joined the project. Today, the estate encompasses seven hectares of certified organic vineyards — five owned, two rented — planted on calcareous clay soils at around 300 meters above sea level. The vines, trained to spurred cordon, range from 10 to 30 years old.