Casale del Giglio
The Estate
“As a child and young teenager the fields and lanes of the family estate, Casale del Giglio, were nothing more to Antonio Santarelli than a place where he could spend carefree weekends and indulge his budding passion for motorbike riding; but all that changed when he joined his father Dino in the family business. By then, a shrewd twenty-five year old, he knew instinctively that their unconventional land in the Agro Pontino valley, some 50 kms south of Rome, offered a unique opportunity to attempt something no-one had ever attempted before.
No scheme as bold and daring had ever been approached in such a scientific way before and Casale del Giglio’s young winemaker, Paolo Tiefenthaler, was to become its leading light. The believers in the endeavour were amply rewarded for their audacity however when they achieved their first significant results from the red grape varieties Syrah and Petit Verdot and from whites such as Sauvignon, Viognier and Petit Manseng. These varieties have given rise to monovarietal wines and to blends, all of which offer excellent value for money. The estate’s flagship wine is the rich, red Mater Matuta (Syrah with a touch of Petit Verdot); a proud thoroughbred, fullbodied, silky and seductive on the palate with aromas of woodland fruits, coffee beans and spice. Aphrodisium, a sweet golden-yellow late harvest wine, is a blend of Petit Manseng, Viognier, Greco and Fiano.»*
From an article by Luciano di Lello in ‘Guide to the Restaurants of Rome’ published in the daily newspaper ‘LA REPUBBLICA’
The Wine
Casale del Giglio subscribes to the philosophy that “the future of Italian viticulture relies not only on consolidating the image of its traditional wine producing zones but on its ability to produce top quality wines at favourable prices in areas whose potential is still relatively unexplored.”
As a result of Casale del Giglio’s research, the European Community authorized the cultivation of ‘new recommended varieties’ such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon in the province of Latina (from 1990) while other varieties were authorized later. Casale del Giglio has converted its 180 hectares of vineyard to the cordon trained system, electing to plant those grape varieties which adapt well to the territory and produce quality wines.
Casale del Giglio currently offers a range of twentytwo products – seven white wines, one rosé, seven reds, one late harvest, three grappas and an extra virgin olive oil.