Casale del Giglio farms in the Pontine plain south of Rome, an area better known for vegetables and buffalo mozzarella than for wine, and has spent decades working out which grapes actually belong there. Bellone is one of the old Lazio varieties it rescued from near obscurity, a white grape that ripens slowly and holds its acid even in heat.
- Bellone, an ancient Lazio white grape.
- Lazio IGT, central Italy, south of Rome.
- 2023, a warm vintage across central Italy.
- Dry, medium body, high acidity.
- 13.5% ABV, 750ml.
How it is made
Bellone has thick skins and a late ripening window, which is why it survived in Lazio when softer white grapes struggled. The grapes are pressed gently and fermented cool to keep the citrus and the floral notes intact rather than letting them turn heavy. The style here is deliberately dry and lean, not rounded off with residual sugar.
How it tastes
Deep yellow in the glass, flecked with gold. Yellow apple and citrus up front, then white flowers, a trace of almond, and a saline finish that keeps pulling the wine back into focus. The acidity is marked and the body is medium, so it carries weight without ever feeling soft. Ripe tropical notes sit underneath, mango and papaya, held in check by that acid spine.
Where it comes from
The Pontine plain is flat, sandy and hot, a coastal strip that most Italian wine maps skip over. Casale del Giglio planted it anyway and built its reputation on varieties that were almost forgotten, Bellone among them. Lazio IGT is a broad appellation, which means the grape and the grower carry more of the story than the label does.
Good to know
Bellone was nearly abandoned in the twentieth century, pulled out in favour of higher-yielding whites. A handful of Lazio growers kept it going, and it is now one of the region's few genuinely distinctive white varieties. It ripens late enough that a warm year like 2023 gives it ripeness without stripping the acidity.
