In a region better known for Lambrusco and industrial Pignoletto, Elena Pantaleoni has spent more than three decades quietly rewriting the rulebook at La Stoppa, a 50-hectare estate in the Trebbia Valley that has become one of Italy's most celebrated addresses for natural wine.
Backstory
La Stoppa was founded in the late nineteenth century by a Genoese lawyer named Gian Marco Ageno. Elena's father purchased the estate in 1973, and Elena began working the land in 1991 after his passing. Teaming up with head vignaiolo Giulio Armani in the mid-1990s, she dismantled the previous planting of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and replaced it entirely with the native varieties Barbera, Bonarda, Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, Ortrugo and Trebbiano. Organic certification followed in 2008, formalising practices the estate had observed since the early 1990s.
The Region
La Stoppa lies near Rivergaro in the far northwest of Emilia-Romagna, close to the Trebbia river at approximately 250 metres elevation. The soils are heavy clay, providing water retention that supports vine health through the valley's hot, dry summers. The Piacenza hills act as a climatic buffer, allowing the slow, complete ripening that Barbera and Bonarda require for Armani's long macerations.
Vineyards and Farming
Of the estate's 50 hectares, 32 are under vine: roughly 75 percent planted to red varieties (Barbera and Bonarda) and 25 percent to whites (Malvasia di Candia, Ortrugo, Trebbiano). Most vineyard work is done by hand. Certified organic since 2008, the estate uses no synthetic pesticides or herbicides.
Winemaking
Fermentations proceed on native yeasts in stainless steel and concrete. Extended skin contact extracts colour, tannin and phenolic structure. Sulfur is never added during vinification or at bottling for any of the premium wines; only a trace amount goes into the entry-level Trebbiolo. Ageing takes place in a combination of small and large oak barrels, with top wines spending several years in barrel before an additional period in bottle. Vintages are released in non-chronological order, once Armani and Pantaleoni judge them ready to drink.
The Wines
Ageno, a long-macerated dry white from Malvasia di Candia, Ortrugo and Trebbiano, has acquired a near-cult following in natural wine circles. Macchiona and the Barbera della Stoppa are deep, structured reds built for a decade or more of cellaring. Vigna del Volta, a passito from Malvasia, rounds out the range with amber sweetness. Trebbiolo, released the summer after harvest, offers an earlier-drinking introduction to the estate.
