Casale Marchese
Casale Marchese is a historic estate in Frascati, Rome’s local white wine town, located just thirty minutes outside of the city to its southwest. The estate was built in the Middle Ages at the site of two ancient Roman cisterns. During the Renaissance, it was owned by a Marquis (hence Casale Marchese, House of the Marquis). Since 1713, the estate has been owned by the Carletti family.
In an area where one finds many industrially produced white wines, Casale Marchese is among a few wineries that focus on quality. Their vines for the Frascati average 40 years of age and are located in a prized area within the appellation, home of hillside vineyards with volcanic soil, which helps to impart a fine underlying minerality to the wines. All of their vineyards are estate-owned and are farmed sustainably. And all of their grapes are hand-harvested.
The Carletti’s have many different varieties planted at their 50-hectare estate. Their focus is on traditional Frascati varieties such as malvasia puntinata, malvasia di candia, trebbiano toscano, greco, bombino, and bellone. Their Frascati is fermented in stainless steel and without malolactic fermentation to give the wines added cut and delineation. Overall, it has the typical freshness that one might expect from a Frascati, but it also has something that one doesn’t always find with their Frascati: complexity and length! They are a benchmark for their appellation and great values as well.
