Azienda Agricola Tre Monti traces its origins back to the early 1960s, the inspiration of Sergio Navacchia and of his wife Thea, who for years was the real driving force behind the winery, until her death in 1989.  A turning-point came in the 1980s, the result of a revolution that began in the vineyards and carried over into the cellar.  Close relationships were established with the best talent in the Italian wine world: a youthful Francesco Spagnolli in the early 1980s, followed by Vittorio Fiore, and afterwards Donato Lanati.

The fruit of their expertise underpinned the steady growth of the winery, directed by Vittorio and David.  The winery comprises two separate estates, one in the hills near Imola, the other in the hills of Forlì.  The winery’s total area amount to some 55 hectares, all of it planted vines.  The winery’s main facilities and administration are in the centre of the Imola estate, which lies in the Tre Monti (Three Mountains) area constituted by Imola’s first band of hills.  At about 100 metres’ elevation, this property covers some 30 hectares, all in vines, with the vineyards facing southeast.  Soils are primarily silty-clay, and quite dense.  The Petrignone property, covering some 28 hectares, enjoys a magnificent position in the Forlì hills, a terrace at 150 metres’ elevation, with a sweeping view of the Romagna plain below.  All of its vineyards face south.  The soil is sandy clay, with good pebbly texture.  But the property is really a microcosm of various soil types.  All of the vineyards are managed according to the principles of sustainable viticulture, which mandates inter- row cover-cropping and the lowest possible use of chemicals.  In addition, recent years have witnessed surprising gains as a result of considering the phases of the moon in relation to certain vineyard management practices (one of the doctrines in biodynamic agriculture), such as hedging, planting new new vines, and, in some cases, the harvest itself.  The winemaking operations too, watched over painstakingly by the experienced and talented Vittorio Navacchia, are animated by a philosophy of minimal intervention.