Discovering the wines of memory at Tenuta Cocci Grifoni
This is the second in our series spotlighting the sustainable and organic vineyards and wineries of Italy that will be featured in the upcoming second edition of Healthy Vines, Pure Wines: Methods in Organic, Biodynamic, Natural, and Sustainable Viticulture.
The hillside rows at Montepulciano field- Vigna Messieri
It’s the 1980s and we are in the heart of one of the world’s well-known wine regions. Mountaintop vistas look down upon hillside vineyards of robust cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes. Warm breezes carry a salt-sea spray from the beaches that are less than a half-hour’s journey by car. Tourists travel inland along winding roads through small towns and vineyards, sampling fare at restaurants and tasting rooms along the way. It’s a lovely place to visit, if not a particularly remarkable one for the discerning wine-tourist.
But one winemaker is about to make local history by turning his back on the popular full-bodied red wines that tourists have come to expect from the region’s wineries. Instead he’s discovered an ancient indigenous grape variety that that’s all but disappeared from attention. In time, his advocacy will be instrumental in transforming his family’s estate and the surrounding Le March region of Italy into a world-class destination for wine lovers and sommeliers alike.
This week, our colleague Cristina Mascanzoni Kaiser spotlights the work of Marilena Cocci Grifoni, daughter of visionary winemaker Guido Cocci Grifoni, and now CEO and co owner of the award-winning estate that has been passed down through four generations of the Grifoni family since 1933.
Stewards of the Land
In the Wine Library with Marta, Camilla, and Marilena
Tenuta Cocci Grifoni is a sprawling 100 hectare property with stunning natural cliffs, rolling cultivated hills and deep gullies carving out the landscape. Vineyards command 60% of the cultivated land, olive groves hold another 8% and wheat fields occupy 2%. Seven wild, forested areas claim the remaining 30% and are protected to preserve the property’s biodiversity and encourage repopulation of flora and wild fauna.
The Grifoni family’s commitment to the territory is evident in all that they do. The estate’s wines are certified organic through Italian agency Suolo e Salute and common best practices are utilized throughout. “For more 10 years we have worked without chemical herbicide and we manage the vineyards under total organic procedures.” Marilena Cocci Grifoni tells us. “We foster development of good insects that control the parasitic insects. To increase the fertility of our fields we sow cover crops for green manure after the cutting. We also work our field in a minimal way to encourage development of earthworms.”
“We are in uncontaminated area without any habitant since 1970 and our weak points during last decade have become strength points because we have vineyards in San Basso, Tarà, and Tenimenti Le Ginestre with a various and rich biodiversity per flora and fauna.”
“Perseverance is the feeling that runs through our history and pervades it like a spinal column. Today it coincides with the desire and the need to present ourselves on the market with constantly renewed products and a completely sustainable line. In this path, traced with naturalness and coherence, all the values and principles of the winery converge.” - Tenuta Cocci Grifoni
Natural elements of local terrain in Le Marche play their part as well. The cavernous gullies dividing the fields are instrumental in capturing and directing rainwater for irrigation of fields and the limestone cliffs and canyons offer the grapevines shelter against northerly winds. As Marlena notes “We have great influence from the sea breeze during the day and mountain breeze during the night. Both influences help us grow sane and healthy grapes.”
Wines of Memory and of Today
The Pecorino vineyards at the Tara estate
So what exactly did Guido Cocci Grifoni see in the mostly forgotten indigenous white grape known as Pecorino that made him take a chance on its cultivation in the late 1980s? A small, pale grape with a high-sugar content, it was ideally suited for the mountain altitudes and the hillside slopes of Le March. But it had a reputation for being a sensitive grape, one that absorbed terroir with abandon. Difficult to grow and highly responsive to seasonal flux. Choosing it over the hearty, predictable, crowd-pleasing reds of the region was surely a risk not taken lightly. On their website, the family proudly notes that Guido was an ordinary person making a brave action. He was “just more passionate and bold than others.” Indeed. Today, Tenuta Cocci Grifoni’s Offida DOCG Pecorino Colle Vecchio is the signature offering in their Vigne Storiche (Wines of Memory) collection and recognized as one of the leading wines of the Marche region.
In an earlier commitment to the memory of Italy’s indigenous varietals and wines, Grifoni was also the first to bottle a Rosso Piceno DOC Superiore, a signature blend of red wine grapes Montepulciano and Sangiovese, in 1969. Characteristics of these two varietals would seem to conflict at first - Tenuta Cocci Grifoni calls them ‘opposite souls’ - but there is a harmony achieved in the bottle. Each varietal is vinified separately, and then united to produce Rosso Piceno DOC Tara as well as the aforementioned Rosso Piceno DOC Superiore San Basso.
Another ancient and revered white wine grape in the Cocci Grifoni fields is the passerina, the “sparrow grape” and queen of the Marche region. Its high sugar content creates a sweet, floral and fresh wine that often hints at the mineral terroir where it thrives. Until recently, passerina grapes were primarily used in the wine industry as blending grapes. In Le Tenute (The Estate) collection, Marche IGT Passerina San Basso and Passerina Spumante Brut Tarà are offerings from their San Basso and Tarà estates, respectively.
Passerina is also featured prominently in their Le Rondini collection with Marche IGT Passerina and Vino Spumante Brut Passerina vintages. Joyous label artwork in this series celebrates the rondini (swallows) as the winery’s personal symbol of sustainability and “the main characters of the journey from our winery to the vineyards and the woods.”
Panoramic Hospitality
The spirit of winemaking that blends tradition and innovation begat a similar approach to hospitality at Tenuta Cocci Grifoni. Tourists are welcome to a variety of food and wine experiences at Relais Cocci Grifoni, a venue adjacent to the main winery complex. Options here range from curated wine-tastings with dinner for groups of eight or more to boxed lunch or dinner picnics where couples and families can relax on grounds surrounded by estate vineyards and olive orchards. For a more intimate experience, lunch in the "Earth Room” offers exclusive tastings of the signature wine Offida DOCG Pecorino as well as tastings of Rosso Piceno DOC Superiore, both current and past vintages.
View from the deluxe suite Giovanni
Visitors can also extend their stay and become guests at the Panoramic Wine Resort, which is a pleasant 2 km drive through the hills and vineyards of the Grifoni estate. The main building dates to the 19th century and has been restored with care to preserve external masonry. A variety of rooms and suites offer unique features in each for services granted, living spaces and current needs of guests. Modern amenities include an infinity pool, a silence pool, yoga retreats and an onsite restaurant with a dedicated chef.
Other amenities for guests ready to explore include trails, 6,250 meters in all, for hiking and biking. Local villages Ascoli Piceno, Ripatransone, Offida and Montalto delle Marche are also a short hike away and resort guests are encouraged to set off on their own adventures to medieval town squares and charming, narrow village streets rich in history and architecture.
All resort structures are geothermal and use the energy of the earth. Photovoltaics provide electricity and rooms are heated to the wall and floor and the window frames are constructed to support thermal and acoustic insulation. Some of the materials used for the resort construction were repurposed from original tiles and brick that were recovered from the old outbuildings. The resort is plastic and waste free. It offers charging stations for electric vehicles and will provide shuttle services to guests traveling by train. For guests visiting by non-electrical automobiles, the resort will offset their carbon footprint through yearly forestation at the estate.
Discover Tenuta Cocci Grifoni
Tenuta Cocci Grifoni is a family estate vineyard and wine cellar nestled in the hills of the province of Ascoli Piceno, between Ripatrasone and Offida, Italy. Four-legged friends of guests are welcomed for the picnic experience. It is certified as follows:
National Quality System of Integrated Production (SQNPI) certified Bee Friendly, 2020
Suolo e Salute certified for Organic Wines
Forest Stewardship Council certified for responsible sourcing of paper for wine-labels
LIPU - Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli (Italian League for Bird Protection)
Visit Tenuta Cocci Grifoni at Via Messieri 12 63065 San Savino di Ripatransone AP
Learn more online at tenutacoccigrifoni.it/en/