A tasting in a castle built on the waterfall of Isola del Liri becomes an opportunity to discover the wines of the Viscogliosi family, produced in the Maremma with organic farming-a small, young company with a few labels that are already convincing. Luciano Lombardi tells us about it.
A castle on the waterfall of Isola del Liri
I went, last fall, to Isola del Liri (Frosinone) to attend the presentation of the new vintages of the Castello Viscogliosi. To my surprise, I discovered that the Boncompagni Viscogliosi Castle is built literally straddling the town’s celebrated waterfall, a destination for centuries for travelers from all over the world.
I had only seen it in photographs: in person, so close, it is truly fascinating and undoubtedly worth the trip.
The tasting in the historic rooms of the castle
Stefano Viscogliosi, owner of the family castle and farm of the same name, warned me: “You’ll see, we’ll drink in a nice place, then about the wines you’ll tell me.”
The masterclass on new vintages, well conducted by colleague Marco Sciarrini backed by thewinery enologist Vincenza Folgheretti, took place in an ancient 16th-century frescoed hall. We then moved to a larger hall, magnificently decorated in the 17th century. The castle, however, is even older: in fact, its construction dates back to around the year 1000.
(For those interested: the castle can be visited and is really very beautiful., it is best to inquire directly).
Vineyards in Maremma and the choice of organic farming
Stefano and his wife Isabella own land in the Tuscan Maremma, in Scarlino, near Grosseto, practically at sea level. Vineyards already existed here, but between 2016 and 2017 they were uprooted and replaced with three hectares of new plantings.
Farming is organic, pending official certification that will come with the 2025 vintage.
A young production
Stephen cherishes this small production. He had already brought home a couple of bottles to me last summer, sorry not to see them reviewed in our The Essential Guide. However, I warned him: competition in Tuscany is very strong, and entry in the Guide is by no means a given. You need very, very good wines and consistency of quality. As well as a non-Lilliputian production (we are talking about a few thousand bottles here).
This tasting at the castle, however, was an excellent opportunity to compare the summer “home” tasting with a more complete and thorough evaluation.
The wines in the tasting
We tasted:
- two vintages of the Carpiano (rosé from Aleatico grapes),
- one of Gualdo all’Alma and one from Alma (both from Merlot grapes),
- one of Alea, the sweet wine from Aleatico.
No wines had technical defects, and the average rating was around 85/100. A correct but still young production. Two labels, however, stood out sharply, and I recount them in the tabs to follow.
Toscana Merlot Alma 2022
Score: 89/100
Average price: € 19,00
Bottles produced: 1.000
100% Merlot. Aged in steel for 9 months, then 6 months in bottle.
Intense ruby color with violet hues. Ripe black fruit on the nose, with clear notes of cherry and blackberry, followed by violet and black pepper. Fresh, agile and taut in the mouth, with fairly velvety tannins, consistent returns of ripe fruit and more than decent persistence.
Toscana Aleatico Alea 2024
Score: 91/100
Average price: € 25,00
Bottles produced: 334 of 0.500 l.
100% Aleatico. Vinification in steel on the skins at 20 °C until the end of alcoholic fermentation, then another 9 months also in steel and at least 4 months in bottle.
Intense ruby color with garnet hues. Aromas of wild rose, cherry, strawberry, black cherry and elegant spices. The palate is sweet but not cloying, with soft tannins, enveloping yet agile and fresh. A fine proof.
