Back is 2016 I visited Casale Del Giglio Winery in Lazio south of Rome on a press trip. There was only one other person on the trip with me and we had a great time. Last week I had the opportunity to taste the wine again in NYC at the James Suckling Italian Wine event. The PR agency for Casale Del Giglio invited me to stop by their stand to sample some recent vintages.
Linda Siddera, International Events and Hospitality Coordinator for Casale del Giglio, whom I had met when I visited the winery, was hosting and pouring wines at the stand. We talked about the winery and she invited me to join her for dinner the next night with 2 other wine writers.
At dinner Linda spoke about the winery and the wines that we tasted.
Dr. Berardino Santarelli, from the Appenine hill town of Amatrice, founded Casale del Giglio in 1967. The estate is between the town of Aprilia and Latina in the Agro Pontino valley about 50 miles from Rome. The winemaker is Paolo Tiefenthaler who also consults for other wineries and makes a methodo classico spumante in Trento where he lives. He was also the winemaker back in 2016.
Linda said they make 10 white wines, 1 Rose, 9 red wines, 3 different grappas plus extra virgin olive oil.
Bellone Lazio IGT “Anthium” 2023 made from 100% Bellone. The variety is cited by Pliny the Elder (d.79 AD). Today the grape is cultivated from Rome to the Lepini hills around the costal town of Anzio where the warm sandy soils tempered by the sea breeze provide the ideal microclimate. Here the grapes are phylloxera free.The vines are more than 60 years old. The grape is vigorous and resistant to drought, a guarantee of wine quality and balance. The grapes are plump, golden yellow, thick skinned and hang in elongated cone shaped bunches. The constant sea breeze contributes to the over-ripeness of the grapes and a high concentration of sugar and acidity lead to early maturation and the wines’ mineral notes. Harvest takes place at the end of September. Vinification: maceration is on the skins followed by a soft pressing and spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast for about 10 to 12 days at 18-20C. This is a balanced wine with tropical fruit aromas and flavors, hints of mango, floral and spice notes, good acidity and a long finish. The wine can age! Bellone is one of my favorite white grapes.
Bellone Lazio IGT “Radix” 2020 made from 100% Bellone. Maceration takes place at room temperature in 400 liter casks standing upright and open at the top to achieve maximum extraction from the skins. Alcoholic fermentation is on the skins at room temperature which takes about two days after which the grapes are soft pressed. Because of naturally- occurring yeasts. Alcoholic fermentation lasts for about 2 weeks. The wine remains in contact with the lees for two years without experiencing malolactic fermentation. This is a complex wine with hints of yellow flowers, peaches, tropical fruit and a hint of mint. It has aging potential.
Lazio Bianco “Viognier” IGT 2023 Viognier Lazio made from 100% Viognier, a native of the Rhone Valley which makes the French wine “Condrieu.” The wine is produced from fully ripe and even over-ripe grapes. The fully ripe clusters that have enough acidity to sustain the character of the variety are harvested first. The others are left on the vine for further ripening so the wine is produced from fully ripe and over ripe grapes. The wine is stored on its lees in stainless steel tanks to prevent malolactic fermentation. The grapes undergo 8 to 10 hours of cold maceration followed by a slow soft pressing. Fermentation is spontaneous and lasts for 10 days. The wine is stored on the lees in stainless steel tanks at 8/10C to prevent malolactic fermentation. Bottling takes place the following spring, usually at the end of March. The wine has hints of peach, apricot with a hint of white flowers. It is a true expression of the Viognier grape.
Lazio Cesanese “Matidia” IGT 2023 made from 100% Cesanese. The grape comes from the Lazio Province of Frosinone around the hill towns of Affile and Piglio. It is a low yield late ripening variety, which lends itself to late harvest. The clusters are small, sparse and elongated, the berries oval and medium sized. The exposure is east at 500 meters and the soil is volcanic limestone. The vines are spur-trained in a 30 year old vineyard near Olevano and the vineyards are situated on high, hilly slopes. The more days between flowering and maturity, the more suitable the wine will be for long aging. Harvest is from early fall to late October. A cold maceration for 6/7 days comes before the alcohol fermentation which is for 3 weeks. There is submerged, spontaneous fermentation at 18-20°C for about 20 days followed by a further 10/12 days of maceration on the skins to extract the very last traces of the tannins in which the skins and seeds of the grape are particularly rich. After racking, part of the wine is aged in stainless steel vats and 400 liter oak casks. The wine has red fruit aromas and flavors with hints of cherry and violets and a touch of spice. The wine can age and it was showing very well.
The name Matidia comes from a member of Rome’s Antonine Dynasty. She was a niece of one emperor and the mother-in-law of another and was given the title of Augusta. Traces of an ancient temple dedicated to her has been found in Rome’s Campo Marzio.
Lazio Rosso “Mater Matuta” IGT 2019. Made from 85% Syrah and 15% Petit Verdot (proportions may vary slightly depending on the vintage). The grapes are harvested when fully ripe and the Syrah may be slightly shriveled. They are vinified in different ways. Submerged cap is used for the Syrah, which ferments on native yeasts for 18 to 20 days. During the first few days délestage takes place several times. Punching down is used for the Petit Verdot for the extraction of the grape’s tannins and polyphenolic compounds. The full-bodied Petit Verdot gives the wine its long aging potential, and the Syrah gives complexity of character. Each new wine goes into new barriques. Color, tannins and aromas still present in the fermented skins are extracted in the soft presses to which they slide by gravity. After 22 to 24 months in oak the wines are blended and left in the bottle for another 10 to 12 months. This is a big complex wine with hints of black cherry, spice, cinnamon and violets with long aging potential. It has a long finish and very pleasing after taste. The name comes from the ancient Italic goddess of the dawn.
At the winery in 2016 at lunchtime, we had one of the best meals that I have had at any winery in a very long time. It is as true then as it is today. They served two of my favorite pastas: Mezze Maniche alla Gricia and Amatriciana and they were as good, if not better then any I have eaten in Rome. For lunch that day at Casale del Giglio and the opportunity to taste these excellent wines, I have to thank once again Linda Siddera.
