Bellone from Lazio – Anthium by Casale del Giglio
Bellone is an extremely high-quality autochthonous white grape variety from the Lazio region of Italy. A stunning example is made by the Casale del Giglio winery in Lazio, 50 km south of Rome. Called Anthium, it’s 100% Bellone, designated as a Lazio Bianco IGP.
All this deserves better recognition here in the UK, so let’s find out more.
Bellone
Hands up who has tried wine from the Bellone grape? Well, it sometimes gets blended away as a minor component in the better-known but much-traduced Frascati, which, at least in modern times, is probably the most famous wine of Rome. Consequently, you might have tried it, even if unwittingly.
However, a monovarietal Bellone wine remains an unusual encounter, even when it’s the principal component in a few obscure DOCs of Lazio such as Nettuno. Indeed, Bellone was once more common, but was often replaced by Malvasia and Trebbiano Toscano. These dominate Lazio, offering bigger and more reliable yields from a time when quantity was prized more than quality.
Consequently, Bellone has become something of a rarity today, with few producers and perhaps only 184 hectares of vines left.1
However, Anthium is available in the UK and comes warmly recommended. On this evidence, Bellone should be included on any list of Italy’s greatest white grapes.
Let’s find out why.
Casale del Giglio
Casale del Giglio Villa
Founded from scratch by Dino Santarelli in 1967, the Casale del Giglio estate is situated in the Agro Pontino valley. Dino Santarelli came here from a long line of wine merchants and retailers in Rome, convinced that it would be an ideal place for winegrowing.
This estate is 50 km south of Rome, in the Municipality of Aprilia, near the Mediterranean Sea at Anzio. The nearby coastline was once the playground of Roman Emperors and Statesmen. Indeed, both Nero and Caligula were born in Anzio (then known as Antium), while Cicero and Hadrian also owned villas nearby.
Bellone has several synonyms, such as Cacchióne and Pacioccóne, the latter meaning “Fatso”, referring to its large grapes and bunches. Moreover, some claim that Bellone, being an ancient grape, is the source of a wine that Pliny the Elder called Uva Pantastica. While this is perhaps speculative, Casale del Griglio have clearly named their wine Anthium with good reason!
Although winegrowing became established in Lazio by the Etruscans, Agro Pontino has had no history of winegrowing because the land was reclaimed in the 1930s from malarial coastal marshland (the Pontine Marshes). However, it does have an ideal breezy maritime climate, with soils of alluvial, marine and volcanic origins. It’s reminiscent of coastal wine-producing areas such as Bordeaux and California. There are also similarities with contemporaneous Italian wine developments further south along the Tuscan coast, such as Bolgheri and the Maremma.
As for sustainability, this is attested to by certifications from SQNPI, Equalitas, and Suolo e Salute. Suffice to say here that projects and innovations are numerous, including reducing water use, solar energy, reforestation, and creating biodiverse habitats. There is also active support for archaeological digs on the Estate, yielding many important Roman finds.
Grape Varieties
Virgin land meant that Dino Santorelli had free rein over which grape varieties to plant, with all subsequent wines being IGP – there are no DOC rules here. In 1985, his son, Antonio, joined him, and a research project ensued. This involved researchers from Italian Universities in Milan, Treviso and Trento. It consisted of an experimental planting of 57 different grape varieties on three hectares,2 while oenologist Paolo Tiefenthaler became its leading light. Today, Antonio Santorelli is the CEO, and Paolo Tiefenthaler is the winemaker and consultant.
Casale del Giglio Winery
The initial results showed that the French grape varieties Syrah and Petit Verdot (in red) and Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Petit Manseng (in white) were outstanding performers. The best twenty varieties were then chosen, which, unusually, includes five hectares of Tempranillo.3
However, they are also champions of local native varieties. Not all of these were part of the experimental 57, and some are sourced outside the main estate. For example, as well as Bellone, there’s Biancolella in white (grown exclusively offshore on the island of Ponza) and Cesanese d’Afile in red (grown inland at Olivano Romano). Today, Casale del Giglio makes 16 wines (8 white, 1 rosé, 7 red). It now encompasses 180 hectares of vineyards, much of it organically farmed.
While there are six hectares of Bellone at the estate, those Bellone grapes destined for Anthium are from Anzio. Here, there is 2.4 ha, now 60+ years old, growing on its own roots in coastal sands. Because the Phylloxera insect cannot travel easily in loose sand, these vines survive and thrive. The old farmers here always said that the best Bellone was from by the sea. They were right.
Casale del Giglio, Anthium, Bellone, Lazio Bianco IGP, 2024. 14%
Bellone Anthium Lazio IGP
Technical
The harvest was at the end of September 2024, with the Bellone grapes given cryomaceration on their skins at 8°C for 48 hours, to extract aromas. Then soft pressing to avoid oxidation, with spontaneous fermentation of the must with indigenous yeasts, in 5,000 litre stainless steel tanks. This lasted for 10-12 days at 18-20°C.
The wine then aged on the lees in stainless steel for six months at 13°C before bottling. 20,000 bottles annually, using DIAM 5 corks. Ageing continued in the bottle for another 2 months before release.
Tasting
It’s a deep yellow, flecked with gold, bright and clean. The aromas are subtle and, over time, insinuating. White (apple?) blossom shows first, then attractive tropical notes follow, such as mango, increasing in strength as the wine warms.
This does not prepare you for the palate, which is explosive, full, and sensual. The fruit is citrus, with mango and papaya, with an unexpected hint of lime and beeswax. Is there the merest fleeting hint of botrytis?
The wine is perfectly in balance with zesty, incisive acidity, while luscious depths have a broad yet silken texture. Length is exceptional, showing a little salinity on the dry finish. Stunning now, what might another five years’ development in the bottle bring? I aim to find out!
Food
Following Casale del Grigio’s own suggestion, try Minestra di Sgavajone, a local fish stew made by the fishermen of Anzio. Try this authentic recipe here. Sgavajone is a local fish (aka Gallinelle) that we call Gurnard, available from a good fishmonger. Note that the Vermicelli used in the recipe is actually Spaghetti. It really is a fine match!
Anthium is a versatile wine, so alternatively, try a simply dressed crab. And if fish and seafood aren’t your thing, a Pasta bake with either mushrooms or chicken goes well too!
UK Availability
The UK importers for Casale del Giglio are Vinissimo. UK Retailers include: Valvona & Crolla, £21.50. Xtrawine, £18.00. Exceptional value for a Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri wine!
And finally
The saying “all roads lead to Rome” (omnes viae Roma ducunt) is more than 2,000 years old. In many ways, the gravitational pull of Rome is eternal, a capital city, tourist magnet and insatiable marketplace. No wonder we don’t see the wines of Lazio so often in the UK. Even at Casale del Giglio, with an annual output of 1.7 million bottles, 70% of it sells locally. Thankfully, that leaves 30% for the rest of us.
If visiting Rome, do try and spend some time outside the city in the Lazio countryside, maybe visit Casale del Giglio. And do ask for Anthium Bellone, but maybe best not to ask for Fatso!
Location
Casale del Giglio
Strada Cisterna-Nettuno, Km 13
04100 Le Ferriere (LT)
Lazio
Italy
What3words location
Notes
- In 2000. Source: Kym Anderson and Signe Nelgen, “Which Winegrape Varities Are Grown Where?”
- With 57 varieties, perhaps the estate could have been known as Heinz?
- Could Tempranillo be Italy’s next big thing?