On one side, the sea and on the other, the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina: the heart of Villa Matilde and the Alto Casertano, an ancient and generous land, vegetable garden and vineyard of the Roman Empire. On these soft and sunny hills are the Tenute di San Castrese and the Parco Nuvo, with rows of the oldest vineyards of Aglianico, Falanghina and Piedirossa. Here, you will find the crus and wines that have made the history of Villa Matilde. In the nineties, the company extended to the provinces of Avellino and Benevento, where the estates of Altavilla and Rocca dei Leoni were born.
In 2009, the International Year of Planet Earth, Villa Matilde launched “Zero Emissions”, an integrated project for the protection of the environment. The wine sector is one of the sectors with the highest energy consumption: hence the desire to develop sustainable production in harmony with nature and respectful for the environment. The goal is to get to zero progressively, by 2011. This includes emissions of greenhouse gases through the use of cutting-edge technologies that will invest the company’s production in its totality, from energy to transport, from fertilizers to fuels, as part of an overall strategy to get to zero emissions
Fiano, Greco di Tufo, Falanghina and Aglianico are indigenous grape varieties of the Irpinia wine area. This steep land develops wines from it’s unique combination of rich soil (tuff, salty and minerality), local mountainous micro-climates and high elevation warmed by the powerful sun of the southern Italy latitudes.
The Rocca dei Leoni tenutas lie in the heart of Benevento’s Sannio area, between the Valle Caudina, the Valle Telesina, and the valley of the Tammaro river. They comprise some 30 hectares of volcanic soils rich in phosphorus and potassium, a truly unique terroir that is gentle and harsh at the same time, and which imparts a marked personality and intense aromas to the wine.
The ancient vines and the luxurious vegetation of cherry trees, fir, chestnut, walnut, and broom all make their contribution to the aromatic qualities of the wines, which are made from clones of aglianico and falanghina. All of the Rocca dei Leoni vineyards are registered as Taburno and Sannio DOC.
The Tenute, or estates, of San Castrese and Parco Nuovo comprise more than 110 hectares, with 70 in vineyard, in the Ager Falernus (the Falernian Territory) covering the slopes the extinct Roccamonfina volcano in the province of Caserta. The terroir reflects the complex soils, a mixture of volcano-derived minerals, as well as a certain briny, marine influence from the nearby sea, all held together in a delicate balance. The very distinctive local climate is favoured by the looming mountain chain that protects the vineyards from harsh winds and cold.
The vineyards are planted to indigenous re grapes of ancient provenance, including aglianico, piedirosso, and primitivo and to the area’s iconic white grape, falanghina, which mainly goes to produce Falerno Bianco, Caracci, and Passito Eleusi.