Frank & Serafico

The most southeastern part of the Maremma near Capalbio was already called in Roman times "Vallis Aurea" (golden valley), because here particularly good soil and climatic conditions let grow also particularly good wines and fruits. A small reminiscence of this time is the golden dot on the labels.

A little further to the northwest, directly on the Tyrrhenian Sea, is the Maremma National Park, where not only some of the vines stand, but also malt and hops, from which Pier Paolo Pratesi brews one of the best craft beers in Italy. Of course, there are strict rules in the national park and every step is strictly controlled. Even if the wines are not yet certified, the vines grow in almost untouched nature - without any chemicals.

Sebastiano Pompa, the long-time General Manager of the famous Fattoria le Pupille, was already considering producing wines in this coastal golden zone with Pier Paolo Pratesi at that time, because both were attracted by the special conditions. Compact clay layers from a depth of one and a half metres under light, loamy-sandy soils, extreme temperature fluctuations and the constant sea breeze are unique here and most comparable to Bolgheri. Old clones and a dense vineyard of 5-6,000 vines per hectare ensure natural yield limitation, elegant tannins and a moderate alcohol content.

For the white wine, the two oenologists used Vermentino, which has always produced excellent results in the Maremma, and a tiny proportion of Petit Manseng to obtain fresh acidity without changing the taste of the Vermentino. The red wine is dominated by Sangiovese, which is refined, if necessary, with 5% Cabernet Franc or Merlot. The vines have an average age of 18 years. It is matured in tonneaux and barriques with delicate toasting from Burgundy. The result is elegant wines with fine fruit and silky, elegant tannins, which represent this special terroir very independently. SUPERIORE.DE