Pinot Noir has a more than 150-year history in Oltrepò Pavese. Count Augusto Giorgi di Vistarino was the first to plant French clones in Oltrepò Pavese around 1860. Today, Oltrepò Pavese is the largest Italian Pinot Noir producing area, boasting about 3,000 hectares of Pinot Noir (comprising both families of clones, the ones suited for reds and the ones suited for being vinified as base wines for Metodo Classico sparkling wines). Oltrepò Pavese is crossed by the 45th parallel, the one that runs through some of the most famous wine regions of the world, like Bordeaux, Piedmont or the Willamette Valley in Oregon, where you can find many top Pinot Noirs.