The estate is located in the enchanting 13th-century borgo of Vistorta. It belongs to the noble family Brandolini Rota then D’Adda: military leaders, in the service of Venice, and registered in the Records of patricians in Veneto since 1686.
The estate villa and its farming buildings, the granary, stalls, and cellars, dating to the 19th century, were constructed by Guido Brandolini, who with passionate commitment dedicated his life to Vistorta and its agriculture, creating a modern, efficient vine-growing company. In the1950s, on the occasion of his marriage, Conte Brando entrusted to his future wife Cristiana and to his friend, stage-designer Renzo Mongiardino, the refurnishing of the splendid villa. To this day, the family residence still preserves intact the unblemished beauty and timeless fascination of that initiative.
In 1965, the English landscape architect Russell Page reorganized and enlarged the park. The centuries-old trees were joined by rare botanical flora, and in three years he transformed the space into what could be described today as a park dotted with lakes that is elegant and charming, romantic but unaffected, and with the villa being its central focus-point again. The gorgeous flowers and rare orchids growing in the park and in the nearby greenhouse complement the beauty of the villa and adorn its splendid interiors with natural vitality, as it was custom in past.
In this enchanting scenario, many generations of the Brandolini family revitalize and pass on a heritage of values which are transferred to their wines. In the 1980s, after graduating in Agronomy at Texas A & M University and after an experience in Château Greysac’s estate in Bordeaux, Brandino Brandolini decided to requalify Vistorta according to the French model, concentrating only on one high quality red wine. This was the launching of painstakingly attentive recovery efforts of Vistorta’s century-old Merlot vines and the planting of new, organically-farmed vineyards, which today are yielding grapes of great finesse and utterly-distinctive character. The lots are harvested and vinified separately and the best grapes, with their specific aromas and tastes, create a balanced wine with a strong character. Originally, the wine cellars were housed in the magnificent barchessa, or porticoed service building, next to the Villa, which still today houses the casks and tools of an ancient and honoured winemaking past. Since the 1980s, winemaking is performed in the sumptuous, 18th-century barchessa in Cordignano, where a relatively simple, minimalist oenological facility enhances what nature has skilfully fashioned in the vineyard. The result of this careful process is acknowledged by prestigious awards: Vistorta is known as one of the great Italian wines.
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