Casale del Giglio farms the flat, sandy ground of the Agro Pontino, south of Rome, land that was drained and parcelled out for agriculture in the 1930s. Petit Verdot, a Bordeaux variety, is the last grape picked in most vineyards it grows in, and in Lazio it ripens to something darker and firmer than its French reputation suggests. Here it is bottled on its own as Cabricale, under the Alterna line.
- Petit Verdot, a Bordeaux red grape.
- Lazio Rosso, IGT, central Italy.
- Casale del Giglio, an estate in the Agro Pontino.
How it is made
Petit Verdot is a late-ripening variety, which is why Bordeaux growers traditionally used it in small proportions rather than on its own. In warmer latitudes it reaches full ripeness more reliably, and the grape is increasingly bottled as a single varietal in Italy, Spain and Australia. Casale del Giglio has worked with French varieties in the Pontine plain since the estate began planting them alongside the local ones.
How it tastes
Dark and dense, with the firm tannin the grape is known for and enough acidity to keep it from sitting flat. Black fruit, violet, a peppery edge. Petit Verdot at full ripeness tends to show more structure than charm in its first years, and this is a bottle that reads as savoury rather than sweet.
Where it comes from
The Agro Pontino is a coastal plain south of Rome, once marshland and now a grid of small farms and market gardens. It is not hill country, and the wines that come out of it are not the Sangiovese of Tuscany or the Nebbiolo of Piedmont. Casale del Giglio planted international varieties here deliberately, testing what the flat, warm ground would give.
Good to know
Lazio Rosso IGT is a broad appellation that allows a wide range of red grapes, which is why a Bordeaux variety can carry it without argument. Petit Verdot is one of the five permitted red grapes of Bordeaux, but it almost never appears alone there.
