Roberto Cipresso

Education and arrival in Montalcino, 1963–1989

Roberto Cipresso was born in Bassano del Grappa on 8 September 1963. After moving to Padova, he attended the Istituto Tecnico Agrario “Duca Degli Abruzzi” and graduated in 1983. In 1986 he completed a viticulture and oenology placement at San Michele all’Adige under Professor Attilio Scienza and attended the first master course in sensory analysis.

Mountains, skiing and climbing were his original ambitions. A fatal accident involving his closest friend led him to leave the mountains and travel to Toscana. He intended the move to be temporary, but applied the observation, respect for nature and rapid reading of environmental signals learned in the mountains to vineyards and wine.

He settled in Montalcino in 1987 and worked with Case Basse, Poggio Antico and Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona. His early training encompassed the complete practical cycle—from vineyard work, tractor driving and barrel cleaning to vinification and bottling. In the same year he became general manager of Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona. His first cited professional successes there were Brunello Riserva 1988, Rosso di Montalcino Vigna della Fonte 1990 and Brunello Vigna Pianrosso 1990. On 13 May 1989 he entered the professional register of agronomists and agricultural experts.

Independent projects, 1992–2000

In 1992 Cipresso created the small Montalcino estate Fattoria La Fiorita with two partners. Its entire first vintage was purchased in 1993 by Enoteca Pinchiorri, after which the project continued acquiring land.

He founded Orchestra in 1994 as an integrated wine-consulting project extending from soils and vineyards to the finished bottle and its route to market. In 1999 he established Winemaking, a viticultural-consulting and professional-training company, assembling agronomic and oenological expertise with his brother Gianfranco and Santiago Achaval. The work expanded through Veneto, including Diesel Farm, Friuli through Il Carpino, Ronco del Gnemiz and Ronchi di Cialla, as well as Piemonte and Campania. Work in Mendoza, particularly the Altamira Malbec associated with Achaval-Ferrer, became the most prominent international result of this phase.

In November 2000 Cipresso designed a special Jubilee cuvée for Pope John Paul II.

The Montalcino laboratory and international recognition, 2001–2009

In 2001 he created Wine Circus, described as an experimental cellar-laboratory in Montalcino where specialists and universities could share research, test ideas and address viticultural and winemaking problems. The present Montalcino cellar-laboratory traces its research activity to that year and has worked with the universities of Padova, Torino, Venezia, Pisa, Udine and Palermo.

In June 2001 Cipresso was nominated for Best Italian Oenologist alongside Renzo Cotarella and Donato Lanati. In June 2006 he received the Best Italian Oenologist title at the Oscar del Vino. His first book, Il Romanzo del Vino, written with Giovanni Negri, appeared in September 2006 and received an Oscar del Vino nomination in 2007. In July 2007 he received a Premio Veronelli distinction as best young publisher. In December 2007, Men’s Health selected him as its 2008 Man of the Year in the food category. He published Vinosofia in 2008 and Vineide in 2009.

New research, books and Parallelo 43, 2010–2020

Cipresso met Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in April 2010. In 2011 Robert Parker awarded 99/100 to Achaval-Ferrer Finca Altamira 2009, presented in Cipresso’s biography as the highest-rated wine then produced in Latin America. Finca Bella Vista 2010 entered the Wine Spectator Top 10 in 2012.

The research that became Parallelo 43 developed from the idea of a “diffused terroir”: vineyards and varieties separated by political borders and established denominations might nevertheless be connected through latitude, light and vegetative cycles. The project joined Cipresso and his brother Gianfranco and was launched as a practical wine project in 2016. It brought Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Sagrantino from Toscana, Marche and Umbria into dialogue, alongside Vermentino and Verdicchio, without treating latitude as a replacement for terroir.

In 2018 Cipresso published Vino. Il Romanzo segreto with Alessandro Zaltron. In 2019 he planted a vineyard at 3,660 metres in Cuzco, Peru, presented as the world’s highest vineyard, and was appointed a foreign academician of the Academia Argentina de la Vid y del Vino. A collaboration with Radio 105 began in February 2020, followed on 16 November by the launch of the DiVino podcast with Federico Buffa.

International production and new initiatives, 2021–2024

CIPRESSO INTERNATIONAL INC was created in California in 2021 to produce Pinot Noir on the Central Coast. In 2022 Cipresso produced his first Burgundy Premier Cru, Les Arvelets in Pommard. October 2023 brought the creation of ORIA TOSCANA, conceived as a vineyard-garden in Val d’Orcia. In 2024 he joined the CERVIM Technical and Scientific Committee for the 2024–2027 term.

Wine of Silence and renewed recognition, 2025–2026

In January 2025 Cipresso began research and development work in Monterrey, Mexico, in an area of extreme viticulture and winemaking. A broad collaboration with AIS combined an editorial role on taste for Vitae, lectures and participation in a new podcast. He served as commission president for the Biodivino, Città del Vino and CERVIM international competitions.

The Anatolia project began in June 2025 through work in Yerevan and Tbilisi. He also taught at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Mendoza. September brought conferences on ungrafted vines and the viticultural history of Anatolia. His story “Radici” won the Città del Vino 2025 “Racconti intorno al vino” literary prize.

In November 2025 Wine of Silence was inaugurated as a programme supporting growers in conflict-affected, abandoned or otherwise precarious territories while preserving endangered indigenous grape material. On 23 November, during the Cinque Grappoli Bibenda 2026 ceremony in Rome, the Fondazione Italiana Sommelier again named Cipresso Oenologist of the Year, following his 2006 award.

On 19 March 2026, the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Mendoza conferred an honorary doctorate on Roberto Cipresso. His accompanying academic theme presented terroir—understood through soils, biodiversity and local identity—as the principal route to resilient vineyards under climate change. The same period marked a new public phase for the Montalcino cellar-laboratory, with visits, personalised tastings and technical masterclasses complementing research, experimentation and production.

Montalcino

Roberto Cipresso’s principal cellar and laboratory are in Montalcino. The territory rises from roughly 150 m to more than 600 m, with changing exposures, winds, temperatures and ripening calendars. Monte Amiata shelters the area from the strongest disturbances, while regular ventilation helps maintain healthy vineyards during the growing season. Galestro, alberese and ancient marine sediments coexist, alongside clay slate, sandstone, gravel, limestone, tuff and red earth with calcareous crusts. Cipresso treats this geological and topographical diversity as the reason Montalcino should be understood as a mosaic of microzones rather than a single uniform expression.

The Montalcino fruit used for the Roberto Cipresso portfolio comes from south-west-facing vineyards around 250 m. Depending on the selection, the soils are described as tuffaceous clay; calcareous silt rich in iron; or predominantly alkaline clay with abundant stones. Bright days, cooler nights and drying winds support gradual Sangiovese ripening. The broader Brunello growing area is framed by the Ombrone, Asso and Orcia rivers.

The Parallelo 43 concept

Parallelo 43 links Toscana, Marche and Umbria through a shared latitude while retaining their separate soils, varieties and cultural identities. Cipresso presents latitude as an exploratory perspective—not a substitute for terroir. The working hypothesis is that territories divided by mountains, seas and political borders can share relationships with light and vine growth cycles. The project connects Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Sagrantino with Vermentino and Verdicchio, sometimes through co-fermentation.

California

Central Coast Pinot Noir comes from a cold maritime environment influenced by the Pacific. The wider presentation gives 500–700 m, while the individual component sites range from approximately 200 m at Cienega Valley to 700 m in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Calcareous and sandy soils, decomposed granite and schist, and volcanic material occur across the sites. Pacific breezes increase the day–night temperature range; the same ridge can face ocean influence on one side and desert conditions on the other. Cienega Valley lies where the Gabilan Mountains fault opens toward the sea; Chalone and Santa Cruz provide contrasting volcanic, calcareous and granitic components.

Argentina

The Argentine work extends through Mendoza, the Uco Valley, Valles Calchaquíes and Salta at approximately 1,000–2,200 m. The soils are described through schist, granite and limestone, with the ancient geology of the Precordillera dated to almost 150 million years. Cipresso’s vineyard searches also follow trees planted by Italian immigrants—visible markers that can lead to old vineyards and the stories of their founders.

Pommard, Bourgogne

Les Arvelets is a south-facing Pommard Premier Cru site at 260 m, planted to Pinot Noir on calcareous marl. The vineyard is trained to Guyot at 11,000 vines per hectare, with a stated production of 0.6 kg per vine.

Sencelles, Mallorca

The Mallorca vineyards lie around Sencelles at approximately 20 m in a Mediterranean climate. Their deep, stony alluvial soils combine limestone and iron and are locally associated with the island’s red earth. The varieties presented are Giró Ros, Prensal Blanc, Mantonegro and Callet.

Uruguay

The Albariño project lies in an inland valley in Canelones/Montevideo at approximately 50–200 m. Cold ocean breezes bring cooling more than overt salinity, and the soils are red and iron-rich. Distinct parcels of different Albariño clones are intended to contribute to one composite expression rather than a single-vineyard wine.

Mexico

The Valle de Guadalupe project in Baja California occupies granitic and alluvial soils at approximately 300–500 m under a Mediterranean climate. Pacific breezes and controlled irrigation are defining elements. The listed variety is Sangiovese.

Armenia

The Armenian work centres on Areni in Vayots Dzor, including Khachik Village, at approximately 1,200–1,800 m. The environment combines mineral-rich volcanic soils, limestone in the Areni vineyard description, high altitude, intense sunlight and a continental climate beneath Mount Ararat.

Cipresso’s viticultural approach begins with direct observation rather than a predetermined production model. Vineyard assessment considers plant behaviour, grape development, environmental response and differences among individual parcels. Technical decisions may cover canopy management, crop-load control, technological, phenolic and aromatic maturity, parcel separation and harvest timing.

Low yields and small berries are treated as variables rather than automatic guarantees of quality. Smaller berries can increase the skin-to-pulp ratio and the relative contribution of anthocyanins, tannins and other phenolics, but they may also indicate excessive water stress. Skin consistency, seed maturity, acidity, aroma development and freshness are assessed together. The target is the quantity of fruit that each vine can ripen properly in a specific vintage, balancing vigour, leaf area, soil fertility, water availability, exposure and climate.

In steep, terraced, island and high-altitude vineyards, wind, drought, diurnal variation, poor soils and limited mechanisation increase the need for human attention. Pruning, canopy work, crop protection, harvesting and grape transport may all demand additional time. Decisions include whether to expose or protect bunches, retain or reduce foliage, adjust crop load and harvest parcels separately.

For Montalcino Sangiovese, the listed vineyards use cordon-spur training at 6,700 vines/ha and approximately 1 kg per vine. The Californian and Pommard Pinot Noir sites use Guyot at 5,000–11,000 vines/ha, while detailed Mallorca sites use cordon-spur training at 5,000 vines/ha. One Parallelo 43 practice gives a second purpose to healthy bunches removed during crop thinning: fruit excluded from the main Brunello path is harvested for the rosé sparkling expression Altrove rather than discarded.

The agronomic consulting programme includes vineyard and pedoclimatic analysis, massal selection, support during key phenological stages and selective harvest management, with specialist agronomists connecting vineyard decisions to cellar objectives. No organic, biodynamic or other farming certification is identified for Roberto Cipresso’s own vineyards.

The Montalcino base functions as both a production cellar and an experimental laboratory. Active since 2001, it integrates winemaking, analytical work, research, training and collaboration with universities. The technical team includes an in-house oenologist who manages the analytical laboratory and research and development, an assistant winemaker responsible for daily vinification and maturation, and specialist consultants.

Production methods vary deliberately by origin and wine rather than following one universal recipe. Montalcino Sangiovese is fermented at controlled temperature with selected yeasts. Brunello and its Riserva ferment in truncated-conical oak vats; Rosso ferments in stainless steel. Maturation uses French-oak barriques and tonneaux, followed by bottle ageing. Rosso receives 12 months in French barriques, split between first- and second-use wood, plus six months in bottle. Brunello matures for 24 months in French barriques and tonneaux, with first- and second-use vessels represented, followed by 24 months in bottle; the Riserva receives 24 months in French barriques and tonneaux and 36 months in bottle.

The Parallelo 43 programme explores both blending and co-fermentation. Vermentino and Verdicchio are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel and can remain on their lees in steel for six to eight months. Sangiovese and Montepulciano may ferment separately or together according to the expression; red maturation ranges from large second-use French-oak casks to French barriques. Punto Rosa combines early-harvest Sangiovese, selected for acidity and freshness, with saignée must from Rosso and Brunello production, then matures for six months on its lees in steel. Altrove is made from healthy crop-thinning fruit, vinified as rosé and refermented for three months in autoclave with selected yeasts using the Charmat method.

California Pinot Noir ferments in stainless steel with approximately 17% whole clusters, then matures for 18 months in French barriques divided equally between second- and third-use barrels, followed by six months in bottle. Pommard Premier Cru follows a related approach, with 15% whole clusters, selected yeasts, 18 months in second- and third-use French barriques and six months in bottle.

Mallorca white and red varieties undergo static settling and temperature-controlled stainless-steel fermentation at 14–16°C. Detailed examples mature for four months in stainless steel on fine lees and receive three months of bottle ageing.

Wine of Silence adapts cellar work to each origin. Telti Kuruk ferments in stainless steel at a controlled 20°C with selected yeasts and remains six months in steel. The Iranian Rasheh-based Molana is produced in small lots with spontaneous indigenous-yeast fermentation and a short maceration. Areni undergoes spontaneous indigenous-yeast fermentation in temperature-controlled steel, followed by 48 months in French barriques—30% new and 70% second- or third-use—and 12 months in bottle.

Roberto Cipresso presents the winemaker as an interpreter rather than the author of a fixed house style. The aim is to identify the closest relationship between a grape and its chosen place, listen to the variety’s local “dialect” and accompany the fruit through the cellar with minimal interference. Wine should become the liquid identity of its terroir rather than a recognisable technical signature imposed across origins.

Terroir is understood as a composite identity formed by soil, light, humidity, microclimate, spontaneous vegetation, temperature range, water and the interaction between vine and place. A strong terroir should move attention beyond the grape variety alone. Appellation rules remain important, but Cipresso regards them as a starting point that must permit research and evolution rather than a final, immovable destination.

The vineyard is approached as a living interlocutor. Work is framed as observation, patience and a series of light corrections rather than a struggle against nature. Harvest is the point at which the grower accepts vintage differences and gathers the accumulated effects of sun, rain, frost, wind, hail risk and human choices. The desired wine is not merely technically sound but truthful to that particular year and place.

Parallelo 43 extends this philosophy by asking whether latitude can reveal relationships between territories and grapes historically kept apart. It does not claim a finished scientific law and does not erase local identities. Instead, it tests what happens when distinct varieties and cultures enter one narrative or fermentation while retaining their origins.

Extreme viticulture is valued only when difficult conditions are understood and translated into coherent agronomic and cellar decisions. Altitude, slope, wind, poor soils and low yields can preserve acidity or create distinctive aromatic profiles, but they can equally prevent balanced maturity. Quality therefore depends on observation and proportion, not hardship for its own sake.

Wine of Silence adds a social dimension: viticulture becomes a means of preserving genetic biodiversity, supporting threatened communities and carrying cultural memory. Its wines are conceived as messages from difficult territories, with sales funding continued intervention and preservation work.