History
From Villa Cialdini to a Chiarli estate
The estate is centred on Villa Cialdini, an 18th-century residence surrounded by a park dating from the same period. The villa was historically associated with General Enrico Cialdini, a prominent figure of the Italian Risorgimento.
In 1898, the Chiarli family acquired Villa Cialdini and its surrounding land. This established the family's presence in the Grasparossa-growing area of Castelvetro and laid the foundations for what would eventually become one of the principal estates behind the Cleto Chiarli Tenute Agricole project. The property has consequently remained in the family for more than 130 years.
A dedicated estate-wine project
At the turn of the 21st century, the family created a new project intended to make premium wines exclusively from grapes grown in its own vineyards. Work on a modern winery at Tenuta Cialdini began as part of this initiative in 2000, alongside the launch of the Cleto Chiarli name for wines intended principally for restaurants and specialist wine merchants.
The Tenuta Cialdini winery was inaugurated in 2002. It was designed to process premium fruit from the Chiarli family's three agricultural estates, combining modern equipment with the family's historical identity. The new wines were presented under the Cleto Chiarli name as a tribute to the founder of the family business. Production at Tenuta Cialdini subsequently expanded to include the Cleto Chiarli and Quinto Passo Metodo Classico ranges, both based on grapes from family-owned vineyards.
Vineyard development
In 2014, the family identified eight hectares at Tenuta Cialdini as suitable for Pignoletto, also known as Grechetto Gentile, and began cultivating the variety there. That year also marked the debut of the Quinto Passo Metodo Classico project, initially represented by a Rosé Brut made entirely from Sorbara and given an extended period on the lees.
The estate's historic single vineyard, Vigneto Cialdini, remains dedicated to Lambrusco Grasparossa. The parcel covers slightly more than 12 hectares and lies beside Villa Cialdini. It is treated as the estate's cru and has been in the family since the 1898 acquisition.
Galleria Chiarli
In 2025, Villa Cialdini became home to Galleria Chiarli, a curated public exhibition drawn from the Chiarli Historical Archive. The gallery was conceived as a cultural account of Lambrusco, the family's entrepreneurial history and the wider Modenese territory. In August 2025, it joined Museimpresa, the Italian association of corporate museums and archives.
Terroir
Tenuta Cialdini lies in Castelvetro di Modena, in the heart of the Lambrusco Grasparossa growing area. Its vineyards cover more than 50 hectares at the foot of the first hills.
The terrain is gently undulating. Its contours were formed by recurring cycles of erosion and deposition associated with the nearby Guerro stream. The vineyards stand over ancient alluvial deposits, while the upper 50–60 centimetres of soil have a silt-loam texture with gravel. The estate's Grasparossa soils are also described as alluvial gravel covered by silt.
The local conditions are predominantly dry and ventilated. Within this setting, Vigneto Cialdini occupies a single site beside Villa Cialdini and is associated with the more concentrated expression of Lambrusco Grasparossa. Eight hectares selected for Pignoletto in 2014 were chosen for their combination of suitable soil and climate.
Winemaking
Tenuta Cialdini works with fruit from its own vineyards. Vigneto Cialdini is devoted to Lambrusco Grasparossa, with particular attention paid to the clonal selection of the original local material. The family has reserved the whole parcel for its single-vineyard expression rather than treating it as one component of a broader vineyard blend.
Pignoletto was introduced to a specifically selected eight-hectare area in 2014. Grapes destined for premium production undergo rigorous selection before processing at the estate winery.
The modern winery at Tenuta Cialdini was created to vinify premium grapes from the Chiarli family's agricultural estates. It is the production site for the Cleto Chiarli and Quinto Passo Metodo Classico ranges, which are based exclusively on fruit from family-owned vineyards.
The facility combines contemporary technology with an approach that gives production time rather than prioritizing speed or volume. Its purpose is to preserve the distinct characters of the family's principal Lambrusco territories, including the mineral profile associated with Sorbara and the fuller fruit and structure associated with Grasparossa.
For the estate's Grasparossa sparkling production, selected grapes are softly pressed and the prise de mousse can be achieved through a controlled, direct single fermentation rather than the separate second fermentation commonly used for Charmat sparkling wines. This process requires close control and is intended to retain freshness, fruit and aromatic definition. The family has continued to refine the Martinotti method in this direction.
Quinto Passo adds traditional-method sparkling production to the estate's activities. The project debuted with a 100% Sorbara Rosé Brut given an extended period on the lees.
Philosophy
Tenuta Cialdini embodies the family's premium, estate-grown approach: the quality and identity of the grapes take precedence over production speed or volume. Modern equipment is used within a setting consciously connected to family history and local tradition.
The broader Cleto Chiarli project seeks to express the different personalities of the family's vineyard territories rather than reduce them to a single generic idea of Lambrusco. Research, clonal selection and technological control are combined with respect for the dry, authentic character the family associates with Lambrusco.
The family presents innovation as a continuation of tradition. At Tenuta Cialdini this is reflected in the coexistence of the historic villa and vineyards, a modern production facility, continued refinement of the Martinotti method, Metodo Classico experimentation and a gallery devoted to preserving the material history of Lambrusco.