Fratelli Lolli, Piglio, Lazio
Pietro & Franco are both involved making wines from these 2 ha inherited by their father and still overlooked by their 87 year old mother. Yes, it’s a family affair indeed, the vinery being located in the garage below their mother’s apartment in the small town of Piglio.
Franco started to help his father in the vineyards already when he was 11 but his older brother Pietro longed for big city life and moved to Rome as quick as he could and got involved in the detergent business instead. Franco and his father farmed organically but did conventional wines sold locally. Of course a chunk of the very tiny production got consumed at home.
When Pietro was 50 he decided to change direction and returned home, determined to start making beautiful wines. This was in 2013 and he attended a course in biodynamic farming, curious to find new ways of improving their vineyards and wines. He realized that his father’s farming had been very close to the biodynamic farming, but the way of making wines, with a natural approach, was new for them and something he just needed to try. And so he did, with good results.
The vineyards are spread out on 2 different plots and are both co planted with fruit trees and surrounded by forest. Gricciano is the name of the vineyard that is planted 1963, the Spiritoso wines come partly from the other vineyard with slightly younger vines. They are on 300 meters altitude and the soils are beautiful, rich in humus and life. In total there are 300 ha of vines planted in the Piglio area. We are super excited about these elegantly structured reds & mineral driven, deep whites that both tells the story from this quite rare place with it’s rather rare indigenous grape varieties.
2016 & 2018 Gricciano Passerina del Fruisante
Soil: Sandy limestone
Grape: Passerina
Appellation: IGT
Age of Vines: Planted 1963
Vinification: Direct press before fermentation and ageing in stainless steel tanks for 8 months before bottling took place.
2020 Bianco Spiritoso
Soil: Sandy limestone
Grape: Passerina
Appellation: IGT
Age of Vines: Planted 1963-1971
Vinification: Direct press before fermentation and ageing in stainless steel tanks, bottled at the end of September 2021.
2020 Spiritoso Rosato
Soil: Sandy limestone
Grape: Cesanese
Appellation: IGT
Age of Vines: Planted 1963-1971
Vinification: Direct press before fermentation and ageing in stainless steel tanks before bottling took place at the end of September 2021.
2020 Rosso Spiritoso
Soil: Volcanic clay & limestone
Grape: Cesanese
Appellation: IGT
Age of Vines: Planted 1963-1971
Vinification: 20% whole bunches 80% destemmed grapes fermented with the skins with very little extraction for 5 days in stainless steel tanks. After pressing ageing took place in the same tanks before bottling at the end of September 2021.
2016 Gricciano Rosso del Fruisante
Soil: Sandy limestone
Grape: Cesanese
Appellation: IGT
Age of Vines: Planted 1963
Vinification: Destemmed and fermented with the skins with very little extraction for 30 days in stainless steel tanks. After pressing ageing took place in old Bottis for 12 months before bottling.
2017 & 2018 Gricciano Cesanese del Piglio
Soil: Sandy limestone
Grape: Cesanese
Appellation: DOCG
Age of Vines: Planted 1963
Vinification: Destemmed and fermented with the skins with very little extraction for 30 days in stainless steel tanks. After pressing ageing took place in old Bottis for 12 months before bottling.