About Argillae
Argillae is a wine estate located in the Allerona area of Umbria, in central Italy, near the border with Lazio and Tuscany. The estate takes its name from the clay-rich soils ('argilla' meaning clay in Italian) that characterize its vineyards. Argillae is known primarily for its Orvieto Classico and other white wines, as well as red varieties including Sangiovese and Montepulciano.
Prices are for take away and shipping. The wine bar serves from its own list.
The winery
About Argillae
History
Argillae was founded by Giuseppe Bonollo, a Cavaliere del Lavoro from a family of distillers whose story goes back to the early 1900s. After building the largest wine distillery in Italy, he went looking for land well suited to making fine wine. In the middle of the 1980s he settled on the hills north of Orvieto, not far from the distillery at Anagni. Argillae became, in the family's words, his second dream come true.
For years the wines went almost entirely to export markets. From 2015 the focus turned more to Italy and the home area, when his granddaughter Giulia joined. She now runs the estate.
The land and the vineyards
The estate spreads over about 120 hectares on the hills between Allerona and Ficulle, north west of Orvieto, along the path of the Autostrada del Sole. The soils are clay and sand, cut by deep erosion gullies called calanchi that formed about two million years ago, and fossil shells from the Pliocene are found in them.
Vines cover 15 hectares of calcareous clay, planted at 150 to 300 metres on sunny slopes with east to west rows. Local grapes get special attention: Grechetto, Procanico, Verdello, Drupeggio and Montepulciano, next to Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Pruning, green work and harvest are done by hand. The rest of the land holds 9 hectares of olive trees and a thick Mediterranean wood.
The wines
The estate makes white and red wines from the grapes above. Recent additions are Primo d'Anfora, a white fermented in terracotta amphorae, and a Brut sparkling wine made by the Charmat method in their own cellar. The cellar has steel tanks with temperature control and separate barrel rooms for white and red wines. Cold pressed olive oil is made on the same day as the harvest.
Today
Argillae remains a family business under the Bonollo name, with Giulia leading and her grandfather Giuseppe still the inspiration. The website offers visits to the estate.
- Founded
- Mid 1980s
- Area
- Allerona and Ficulle, north west of Orvieto (Umbria)
- Vineyards (hectares)
- 15 (estate 120; olives 9)
- Main grapes
- Grechetto, Procanico, Verdello, Drupeggio, Montepulciano
- Owners
- Bonollo family