Cascina Montagnola is as it exists today is the result of a dream. Donatella and Bruno Giannotti were visiting friends in the countryside on a cold Sunday in January in 1988 when they learned that a a nearby property with an old, early 1900s art deco manor house called Villa Margherita was for sale. The property was abandoned and decaying, but its romantic appeal was alive and well. It was love at first sight. Two days later, Bruno surprised his wife Donatella with the keys to their uncharted future—the old Villa Margherita, what would become Cascina Montagnola.
Over several years, Bruno and Donatella spent their free time renovating the manor house and making improvements to the whole property, including tending to the one hectare of Barbera vineyards dating back to the 1950s, the vines that the couple nicknamed their warriors, vines that had resisted time and adversity with great strength and dignity. They began to plant additional plots of vines that were native to the area such as Cortese and Croatina, and also some plantings of more international varieties such as Merlot and Petit Verdot. As of 2001, Cascina Montagnla became their full-time endeavor, moving in and dedicating themselves to making wine, permanently. In 2003, inspired by local winemakers and a love of their region’s agricultural biodiversity, they planted their first small plot of Timorasso, a grape with strong ties to their area that had nearly vanished. Casnina Montagnola now spans 20 hectares, but only 8 hectares are vineyards.
The wines are the result of dutiful research and love for the traditional grape varieties and styles of the region. Since purchasing and dedicating themselves to their land, Bruno and Donatella worked on building their dream and making their wines together. Alas, in March of 2020 Bruno Giannotti passed away, but Donatella continues to keep their vision alive by relying on her trusted agricultural and winemaking team, whose passion, dedication and understanding of the vineyards at Cascina Montagnola has allowed Donatella to continue to produce soulful wines each vintage. The watercolor paintings for each label are made by a dear artist friend from the Bergamo valley, Luigi Paganessi.
