This advertising content was produced in collaboration with SevenFifty and our partner, Opici Wines and Spirits/Baglio di Pianetto.
Count Paolo Marzotto’s search to find the perfect vineyard took him from northern Italy, across the globe, and finally to Sicily. It was there that he found the ideal combination of physical beauty, expressive terroir, and the opportunity to execute his vision of sustainable Italian wine. His journey culminated in Baglio di Pianetto, a family-owned estate that prides itself on stewarding Sicily’s indigenous grape varieties and natural assets. The Count, however, added his own twist: an interpretation of classic French grapes that would add finesse and elegance.
Originally founded in 1997 with the Pianetto Estate near Palermo, the portfolio also includes the Baroni Estate in Val di Noto, fusing two styles under a unified umbrella that places a premium on environmental stewardship. The northern estate, Pianetto, lies 650 meters above sea level in a mountainous region that leverages diurnal temperature shifts and diverse microclimates to produce elegant wines with complexity and character. Bordeaux varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot coexist with native Sicilian grapes such as Catarratto and Grillo. The southern estate, Baroni, enjoys a mild climate and lies only 50 meters above sea level. Here, Sicily’s indigenous grape varieties shine. The limestone soils contribute minerality and freshness, the hallmark of Baroni’s signature regional reds, Nero d’Avola and Frappato.
Baglio di Pianetto’s founding principle is respect for the environment and the estate has been certified sustainable since its inception. Now run by the second and third generations, the estate has continued this mission; since 2016, all 160 hectares are certified organic. It’s not only in the vineyards that such care is demonstrated: The naturally insulated, gravity-fed winery significantly reduces the use of pumps and water, and uses solar power to produce renewable energy, lowering its CO2 emissions.
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Baglio di Pianetto produces wines that showcase the family’s Sicily-meets-France winemaking philosophy. The Monovarietali line offers fresh, approachable, fruit-driven wines that are convivial and food friendly. The Classici line famously combines Sicily’s character with French finesse, blending grapes from both the high- and low-altitude estates.
The portfolio carries out the Count’s vision of tradition and innovation in such wines as Insolia, a high-elevation white from the Pianetto vineyard made entirely from this ancient variety; Timeo, a 100-percent Grillo also sourced from the mountains, which undergoes cryomaceration on the skins before aging in oak for five months and another month in bottle; and Ramione, which equally blends Merlot from Pianetto and Nero d’Avola from Baroni, and ages for 12 months in French oak and another two years in bottle before release.
Further leveraging Sicily’s unique heritage, the Pianetto estate includes a villa amid vineyards and olive trees offering an integrated experience of hospitality, authentic regional cuisine, and custom wine tastings, bringing the Count’s vision full circle.
