I had the pleasure of meeting Linda Siddera of Casale del Giglio at Il Bottino restaurant in New York City this month, and over a well-executed contemporary Tuscan meal we explored a pair of whites and a red from the winery’s eclectic portfolio of native and international white, rose’, and red wines.
The story of Casale del Giglio began over a century ago when brothers Emidio, Isidoro, and Antonio applied for a charter to establish the Bernadino Santarelli & Figli corporation that they named in honor of their father. The brothers opened a wine, liquor, and olive oil shop in Rome roughly a decade later.
By the 1950s, they had established over 10 shops throughout the city. During this time, Emidio’s son Dino also established Santarelli S.p.A. to bottle wines produced in Lazio. In the decades that followed, Dino would gradually shift the focus of the family business to winemaking.
In 1967, Dino established Casale del Giglio winery in the Agro Pontino Valley in Le Ferriere, a village in the province of Latina, located approximately 50 km from Rome, in the central Italian region of Lazio. This valley, once defined by marshlands and deemed unfit for agriculture, has now become fertile land ideal for vine cultivation.
Dino, his son Antonio, and winemaker Peter Tiefenthaler, Casale del Giglio have pioneered the use of innovative and environmentally-sustainable winemaking techniques to produce fine wines from indigenous and international varietals that best express the coastal terroir of the Agro Pontino Valley.
Linda poured a Casale del Giglo Viognier Bianco Lazio IGT/IGP 2023, that was matured on the lees in stainless steel tanks, with fragrant honeysuckle and acacia, and ripe apricot, and peach flavors, to accompany small plates of fried artichokes seasoned with lemon, mint, chili flakes, and harissa aioli, and corn and robiola arancini with tajin aioli.
A Casale del Giglio Radix Bellone Bianco Lazio IGT/IGP 2020 made with the indigenous white grape Bellone, and macerated on the skins before undergoing spontaneous fermentation, was served with stracciatella on a bed of heirloom tomatoes, grilled peaches, and apricots drizzled with aged balsamic, and a prosciutto San Daniele accompanied by whipped ricotta, an apricot-honey emulsion, bee pollen, onion confit, and grilled sourdough. The vibrant acidity, soft minerality, and rich lime blossom, mango, papaya, and sweet spice character of this Bellone paired seamlessly with these two appetizers.
The Viognier and the Bellone were also ideal complements to a duo of pastas, including a spaghetti alla nerano tossed in summer zucchini, pecorino, and grana padano, and a squid ink mafaldine with jumbo lump crab, garlic scape, jalapeno, grilled corn, and prosciutto breadcrumbs. The adaptability of these two white wines to several different dishes highlighted their food-friendly nature.
Linda presented a Casale del Giglio Matidia Cesanese Rosso Lazio IGT/IGP 2022 crafted from the native red varietal Cesanese, and macerated on the skins before undergoing spontaneous fermentation, to be served with a porcini-rubbed NY strip steak accompanied by roasted carrots, spinach, bone marrow, cipollini agrodolce, and rosemary, and two sides including crispy russet potatoes, and grilled jumbo asparagus. The soft and round texture, balanced acidity and tannins, and bright red and blackberry, cherry, and zesty spice notes of this age-worthy red wine was an ideal accompaniment to the robust and earthy flavors of these savory dishes.
I appreciated this delightful introduction to Casale del Giglio’s wines and look forward to exploring the rest of their portfolio and learning more about native varietals from the Lazio region.
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