Antonelli San Marco

The Antonelli estate has existed in its current form since the thirteenth century, when it was a part of the Bishopric of Spoleto. The 170 hectares, 40 of which are planted to vines, remained in the church’s hands until 1881, when it was bought by local lawyer Francesco Antonelli. Estate bottling of the wines began in 1979 and in 1986 the fifth generation of the family, Filippo Antonelli, took charge after obtaining his degree in agriculture from Perugia University. The vineyards are all on slopes at around 350m altitude, to the west of the small town of Montefalco in the heart of Umbria. Olive oil is also made on the property and, following the gift of a pair of breeding boars from his German importer, Filippo has been experimenting with home curing boar hams. Production is 25,000 cases per year from a gravity flow winery and the estate, having been run along organic lines for 20 years, gained organic certification from the 2012 vintage. Filippo also started experimenting with amphorae and skin contact whites in 2012 and the 2016 vintage of his Trebbiano orange wine, Anteprima Tonda, received tre bicchieri in the Gambero Rosso. The just-released 2018 is equally as stunning. The quality of the wines here is breath-taking and among the best two or three producers in Umbria.