Fattoria Le Pupille

When Elisabetta Geppetti took over Fattoria Le Pupille in 1985, the Maremma region of southern Tuscany was barely on the wine map. Considered peripheral compared to the Chianti heartland to the north, coastal Tuscany was known mostly for bulk wine, mixed agriculture, and Morellino di Scansano in modest quantities. Geppetti, in her early twenties and inspired by her grandfather's love for the land, brought to the estate a conviction that Maremma's terroir could produce serious wine. Working with her father-in-law Alfredo Gentili and the legendary consulting winemaker Giacomo Tachis (the architect of Sassicaia and Tignanello), she launched Saffredi in 1987, a Bordeaux-style blend that became the first Super Tuscan from Maremma and marked the region's arrival as a credible source of premium red wine.

• Estate predates Geppetti's leadership but was transformed under her ownership beginning in 1985
• 1987: launch of Saffredi, the first Super Tuscan from Maremma, with Alfredo Gentili and Giacomo Tachis
• Maremma was largely peripheral to Tuscan fine wine before Le Pupille's emergence
• Vineyard holdings expanded from approximately 5 hectares in 1985 to over 75 hectares today

Elisabetta Geppetti remains the central figure at Fattoria Le Pupille after four decades of leadership, both as owner and as the public face of Maremma wine globally. Her two children, Clara and Ettore Rizzieri, are now active in the family business. Ettore studied viticulture and enology at the University of Pisa and has taken on increasing responsibility in agricultural and cellar management. Beyond the estate, Geppetti has been a tireless ambassador for the broader region: in 1992, she became the first woman to lead a Consorzio in any Italian wine region when she took charge of Morellino di Scansano, and her advocacy helped establish Maremma's modern reputation. The estate remains family-owned and operated, with the Rizzieri family preparing for a deliberate generational handover.

• Elisabetta Geppetti has led the estate since 1985, now into her fourth decade at the helm
• Children Clara and Ettore Rizzieri are now active in the business; Ettore studied viticulture and enology at Pisa
• Geppetti was the first woman to lead an Italian wine Consorzio, taking charge of Morellino di Scansano in 1992
• Estate remains entirely family-owned, with the second generation now active in operations

The Le Pupille estate spans 420 hectares in the rolling hills of Maremma around Magliano in Toscana, with 85 hectares planted to vineyards, 20 hectares of olive groves, and significant additional acreage devoted to cereals, cork oaks, and pastures. The principal vineyards sit on slopes with sandstone-based soils and elevations ranging up to 250 meters, benefiting from cooling Mediterranean breezes. Saffredi has its own dedicated 14-hectare single vineyard at 250 meters, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot on well-ventilated sandstone soils. The estate also produces Poggio Valente, a single-vineyard Sangiovese-driven Morellino di Scansano Riserva, alongside the broader Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano, the white Poggio Argentato (a Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer, and Semillon blend), and a Maremma rosato.

• 420 hectares total estate, 85 hectares of vineyards, 20 hectares of olive groves
• Saffredi vineyard is 14 hectares at 250 meters elevation, planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot on sandstone soils
• Poggio Valente Riserva is a single-vineyard Sangiovese-driven expression of Morellino di Scansano
• Vineyards spread across Magliano in Toscana with maritime influence and sandstone-based soils

Le Pupille's stylistic identity rests on two complementary pillars: the Bordeaux-blend Super Tuscan model embodied by Saffredi, and serious traditional Sangiovese-based Morellino di Scansano led by Poggio Valente. Saffredi is built around Cabernet Sauvignon (approximately 60%) with Merlot and Petit Verdot rounding out the blend, fermented in stainless steel and aged in French oak barriques in the modern Super Tuscan style. The Morellino di Scansano line shows a different face, fresher and rooted in Sangiovese as the dominant variety, producing wines that bridge accessible everyday drinking and serious cellaring. The Poggio Argentato bianco demonstrates the estate's white wine ambitions, blending Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer, and Semillon for an aromatic Maremma white. Across the portfolio the philosophy is to express Maremma's specific maritime warmth and sandstone soils rather than imitate Chianti or Bolgheri directly.

• Saffredi: roughly 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot; aged in French oak barriques
• Morellino di Scansano line led by Sangiovese; Poggio Valente Riserva is the single-vineyard expression
• Poggio Argentato is a Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer, Semillon white showing aromatic Maremma potential
• Style emphasizes Maremma's maritime warmth and sandstone terroir, distinct from Chianti or Bolgheri

Fattoria Le Pupille's significance reaches beyond its own wines: the estate is widely credited with putting Maremma on the international fine-wine map. Saffredi, launched in 1987, was the first Super Tuscan to emerge from the southern coast of Tuscany, opening the door for Bolgheri's parallel rise and for the broader recognition of the Tuscan coast as a serious red-wine zone. Elisabetta Geppetti's role as a public advocate, Consorzio leader, and innovator gave the region a face during decades when Maremma was struggling for identity. Today the estate's wines, including the 2019 Saffredi that placed eighth in Wine Spectator's 2022 Top 100 and a 2022 Poggio Valente scored 95+ by Robert Parker, demonstrate that the early conviction has aged into commercial and critical credibility. The next generation now stepping in inherits one of Maremma's most influential family domaines.

• Saffredi (1987) was the first Super Tuscan from Maremma, predating much of Bolgheri's modern rise
• Geppetti's leadership of Morellino di Scansano Consorzio (1992) made her the first woman to lead any Italian wine Consorzio
• 2019 Saffredi placed #8 on Wine Spectator's 2022 Top 100; 2022 Poggio Valente scored 95+ by Robert Parker
• Estate remains family-owned with the second generation now active, positioning Le Pupille as a benchmark Maremma producer for the long term