2021 · Chardonnay Siet Vignis

Family-run Ronco del Gelso was founded by the Badin family in 1988 and is led by Giorgio Badin in Cormons, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Its vineyards lie in the Isonzo plain’s Rive Alte subzone, on lean, stony, dry soils shaped by a climate combining continental and Mediterranean influences. The estate emphasizes careful, low-impact vineyard management, including cover crops, high-density single-Guyot training, strict yield control, drip irrigation and thoughtful clone and rootstock selection; it has no formal organic or biodynamic certification. A modern winery gives the family control from pressing through aging and bottling. Giorgio’s approach favors minimally invasive techniques and wines that express variety and place, with sapidity, fruit, balance, elegance and longevity. Whites receive whole-cluster pressing, while reds may undergo long maceration and wood aging. Renewable energy systems include photovoltaic plants and a vine-pruning-fueled boiler.