| Founding date | 1955 |
| Hectares of vineyards | 180 |
(LE FERRIERE – LATINA) Casale del Giglio, led by Antonio Santarelli and the oenologist Paolo Tiefenthaler, is widely recognized as the most important and prestigious winery in Lazio.
History of Casale del Giglio
Many entertainment personalities have spoken, with barely concealed irony, of their ‘overnight success’, obviously the result of many years of commitment, hard work and sacrifices. Antonio Santarelli could tell a similar story, but in this case the success comes from very far away, from generations of work in a complex field, and the success of the last thirty years is nothing but the deserved reward for his intuitions and his fervent self-sacrifice, which obviously paid off.
In fact, the story begins way back in 1914 with the establishment of the Berardino Santarelli & Figli company in Amatrice. The company then moved to Rome.
The expansion, as in all well-managed companies, was a spontaneous consequence and therefore in 1955 Dino Santarelli decided to bottle the typical wines of Lazio. Casale del Giglio was founded in 1967, an intuition, little shared at the time, which saw significant potential in the Agro Pontino area and therefore moved there to develop it.
Philosophy of Casale del Giglio Wines
An important aspect in the philosophy of Casale del Giglio wines is respect for the environment and biodiversity. In fact, the company operates quality viticulture with high planting densities and the rejection of herbicides and invasive synthetic products, mainly using copper and sulfur as in an organic regime. Casale del Giglio’s commitment to the environment is also demonstrated by the creation of a photovoltaic system in 2010 which makes the cellar almost totally independent in terms of energy.
Another very important aspect in the philosophy of Casale del Giglio wines is the valorization of the territory, vinifying both international and native vines. The vinifications have a modern approach, and include fermentations with indigenous yeasts, pumping over, délestage, refinements on noble lees and passages in French oak barriques and tonneaux.
Antonio Santarelli, with the advice and support of Paolo Tiefenthaler and Attilio Scienza, adopts these choices meticulously with the precise aim of skillfully combining quality and quantity. This is how the Casale del Giglio wines were born: an important line of high-level wines, with a good quality-price ratio capable of illustrating the oenological potential of Lazio and competing with more renowned and appreciated labels on a global level.
Terroir of Casale del Giglio wines
Success cannot be measured in mere numbers, but those of Casale del Giglio are truly impressive. The total area under vine cultivation now amounts to approximately 180 hectares and Paolo Tiefenthaler is generally recognized as one of the most important winemakers working in central Italy. For good reasons he is now in fact responsible for the production of 20 different wine labels but also several grappas and an extra virgin olive oil.
The success of a winery derives from the ability of men to interpret the potential of the territory, which in Agro Pontino offers ideal conditions for creating wines of great Mediterranean character and mineral flavour.
The 180 hectares of vineyard are located on clayey, sandy and volcanic soils distributed in a horseshoe shape around the winery farmhouse. The climate is Mediterranean, ventilated and favored by the thermo-regulating action of the nearby Mediterranean Sea, which caresses the vineyards with its sea breeze, mitigating excess heat in the summer months.
Casale del Giglio wines
The range of Casale del Giglio wines is very vast and includes international grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Viognier, Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot, but also Syrah and Tempranillo. Among the native vines typical of Lazio vinified by Casale del Giglio you can find Biancolella from Ponza, Bellone from Anzio and Cesanese from Olevano Romano.
Of great interest among the wines of Casale del Giglio is the ‘Mater Matuta’, based on Syrah, fully among the most compelling interpretations of this vine in Italy. Not to be outdone is the ‘Madreselva’, a very engaging Bordeaux blend with silky tannins, made up of a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
Anthium’ from the native Bellone vine should be taken into consideration: a wine of great olfactory eloquence which outlines citrus and aromatic herbal nuances on the nose, spreads savory and enveloping on the palate.
‘Matidia’ is also very captivating, maximizing the expressive potential of the native red grape variety par excellence, the Cesanese, giving life to a wine of unusual elegance and territorial character.
In fact, Casale del Giglio, at the instigation of Santarelli, has bet heavily on undervalued native varieties right from the start, achieving great success and helping to tell the world about the winemaking potential of this area. A model company, in short, that has developed and established both international and indigenous grapes in an area where quality wine was little known. Wines of great precision and expressiveness and with an excellent quality/price ratio, do we need to add anything else?
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Information & Contacts Casale del Giglio
Address: Strada Cisterna-Nettuno Km. 13 – 04100 Le Ferriere (LT)
Telephone: +39 0692902530
Website: www.casaledelgiglio.it
e-mail:info@casaledelgiglio.it
Tasting in the company: YES
Direct Sales: YES
