Santarosa got its start in the mid-1970s on the hills of Monte San Pietro.

At the time of its founding by Amedeo Della Valentina, the estate's area under vines measured 17 acres. Following the first harvest in the fall of 1978, grapes of the varieties Barbera, Pignoletto, Cabernet Sauvignon and Picolit were placed in the vineyard-encircled cellar for aging. Pinot Blanc grapes from the Belvedere estate were added to the Santarosa portfolio several years later. The estate devoted itself solely to premium wines from day one, compensating for uncompromising restriction of yield with a selective increase in growing area.

Giovanna Della Valentina, the founder's daughter, has helmed the business since the early 1990s. After just a few years, the second-generation Della Valentina had all of Santarosa's vineyards replanted, now cultivating Merlot and Chardonnay alongside Pinot Blanc, Pignoletto and Cabernet Sauvignon. Today, grapes are grown on an area measuring 25 acres, nurtured with professional and loving care by viticulturist Federico Aldrovandi who manages the rights of both vineyards and the winery.

Refrigerated stainless steel tanks and barriques placed in a climate-controlled environment create optimum conditions for the fermentation, maturation and aging of musts and wines. Federico Curtaz masterminded the layout of the new Santarosa vineyards based on thorough, meticulous analyses of soil composition and topography. Head winemakers Emiliano Falsini and Alberto Antonini have a simple goal: to draw the very best from the terroir, the grapes and the cellar. Santarosa's multiple-award-winning wines are all the proof needed of this successful quest -- as we hope you will judge for yourself.