Rocca di Frassinello

Rocca di Frassinello traces directly to a lunch meeting in the Maremma between Paolo Panerai, founder of Castellare di Castellina (established 1979 in Chianti Classico), and Baron Eric de Rothschild of Château Lafite. Panerai had been searching for new vineyard land outside the increasingly built-up Chianti Classico area and had acquired hectares in Gavorrano, in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma. The discussion of his Maremma project led to the formation of a joint venture between Castellare and Domaines Barons de Rothschild-Château Lafite, with the partners agreeing to combine Castellare's Tuscan Sangioveto winemaking expertise with Lafite's classical French know-how. The estate was formally inaugurated on June 30, 2007. Years later, the Rothschild family decided to sell shares of companies where they held minority stakes, ending the formal joint venture, though Castellare retains ownership and continues the project, with the stylistic imprint of the original collaboration remaining visible in the wines.

• Project conceived during a Maremma lunch between Paolo Panerai (Castellare di Castellina, est. 1979) and Baron Eric de Rothschild (Château Lafite)
• Inaugurated June 30, 2007 as a joint venture combining Castellare's Tuscan Sangioveto expertise with Lafite's classical French varietal know-how
• Located in Gavorrano in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma; site chosen after Panerai's search for vineyard land outside the increasingly built-up Chianti Classico zone
• Joint venture ended years ago when the Rothschild family sold minority shares; Castellare retains ownership and continues the project with the Lafite stylistic imprint preserved

The Rocca di Frassinello cellar was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, motivated by his longstanding friendship with Paolo Panerai and his own family heritage as the son of a wine producer. The cellar is a striking contemporary structure embedded in the Maremma landscape, with a tall central tower visible from the surrounding hills and a barrel-aging cellar arranged underground in a theatrical amphitheater configuration that has become one of Italy's most photographed wine architecture statements. The design supports gravity-flow winemaking from grape reception through fermentation and aging, allowing the wines to move through the production process without mechanical pumping. The architectural ambition of the cellar reflects the broader Panerai-Rothschild project ambition of creating a benchmark Maremma estate from the ground up.

• Cellar designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, motivated by friendship with Panerai and his own wine-producing family heritage
• Striking contemporary structure with tall central tower visible from surrounding Maremma hills
• Barrel-aging cellar arranged underground in theatrical amphitheater configuration; one of Italy's most photographed wine architecture statements
• Design supports gravity-flow winemaking from grape reception through fermentation and aging

Rocca di Frassinello combines Italian Sangiovese with the international Bordeaux palette of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, reflecting the joint venture's combined Italian and French expertise. The flagship Rocca di Frassinello typically blends Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah in varying proportions, aged 18 to 24 months in French oak barriques before bottling and further aging. Ornello Maremma Toscana represents a more accessible expression with a similar varietal palette but lighter oak influence. The second wines and entry tier preserve the house style at accessible price points. The Renzo Piano-designed cellar's gravity-flow architecture supports the estate's quality-first winemaking philosophy, with parcel-by-parcel vinification and meticulous selection at every stage.

• Plantings combine Italian Sangiovese with international Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah
• Flagship Rocca di Frassinello = Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah blend; aged 18 to 24 months in French oak barriques
• Ornello Maremma Toscana = more accessible mid-tier expression with similar palette and lighter oak influence
• Gravity-flow cellar architecture supports quality-first winemaking with parcel-by-parcel vinification and meticulous selection

The Rocca di Frassinello portfolio centers on the flagship Rocca di Frassinello Maremma Toscana DOC, a Sangiovese-led blend with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah aged 24 months in French oak barriques. Ornello Maremma Toscana is the mid-tier accessible bottling, typically 40% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 20% Syrah with around six months in oak. Le Sughere di Frassinello is the second wine of the flagship, offering a more approachable expression of the house style. Poggio alla Guardia rounds out the entry tier. The estate also produces a Vermentino-based white. Overall, the portfolio reflects the Lafite-Castellare collaboration's deliberate strategy of pairing Italian indigenous varieties with the French Bordeaux palette at multiple price points.

• Flagship Rocca di Frassinello Maremma Toscana DOC = Sangiovese-led blend with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah; aged 24 months in French oak barriques
• Ornello Maremma Toscana = mid-tier blend, typically 40% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet, 20% Merlot, 20% Syrah with ~6 months in oak
• Le Sughere di Frassinello = second wine of the flagship; Poggio alla Guardia = entry tier
• Portfolio reflects Lafite-Castellare strategy of pairing Italian indigenous varieties with the French Bordeaux palette at multiple price points

Rocca di Frassinello is one of the most architecturally and commercially ambitious projects launched in the modern Maremma, combining serious Italian and French winemaking pedigrees with one of the world's most celebrated architects in Renzo Piano. The project demonstrated that the Maremma could attract investment from the highest tiers of global fine wine, with Lafite's involvement (even as a minority partner before the eventual sale of shares) signaling international confidence in the appellation's potential. The estate's stylistic strategy of pairing Sangiovese with the Bordeaux palette positions it as a bridge between the traditionally Sangiovese-anchored inland Tuscan zones (Chianti Classico, Brunello) and the Bordeaux-blend-dominated Bolgheri coastal axis. The Renzo Piano cellar has become a destination for wine tourism and an architectural calling card for the Maremma.

• One of the most architecturally and commercially ambitious projects launched in the modern Maremma
• Combined serious Italian (Castellare) and French (Lafite) winemaking pedigrees with one of the world's most celebrated architects (Renzo Piano)
• Demonstrated that the Maremma could attract investment from the highest tiers of global fine wine
• Sangiovese-Bordeaux strategy bridges inland Tuscan zones (Chianti, Brunello) with Bordeaux-dominated Bolgheri coastal axis