Located between 60 and 300 meters asl, in the easternmost part of the Cesena area, the valleys of Pisciatello, Rigossa, Tuso and especially Rubicone etch the profile of a multifaceted sub-zone.
The Rubicone – where Julius Caesar uttered the famous phrase “alea iacta est” (lit. “the die is cast”) – marked the border between Italy and Gaul during the Roman Republic. Today, as in the past, the area is a link between the hilly regions and those sloping towards the Via Aemilia and the sea, offering breathtaking views of natural balconies as well as authentic and barely developed rural landscapes.
There are four production areas within the Longiano sub-zone. These are four ridges with heterogeneous characteristics and distinct personalities.
Starting from the east, the first area stretches from Montiano to Monteleone. Here, sandy soils and elevated altitude result in lively and bright Sangiovese wines characterized by pronounced minerality and impressive potential for aging.
From Longiano – a remarkable village thanks to the spectacular Castello Malatestiano perched on the peak of the hill – to Roncofreddo, the landscape changes. The slopes become gentler, altitude decreases and clayey soil prevails: such elements give rise to warmer wines with a more pronounced fruit and rougher tannins.
Proceeding along the Rubicone, from Savignano towards Borghi, predominantly alluvial soils are home to simpler Sangiovese wines that are easier to drink. At the easternmost borders, the ravines and typical gray clays yield wines with characteristics that are more similar to those found in the area of Rimini: more robust and less nuanced, revealing maturity and dark fruit, full and rough on the palate.