Parco Nuovo, on the other hand, as coastal soil is mainly sandy, rich in iron silicates, potassium and phosphorus - best suited to the white Falanghina and other native grapes destined for future production. Terrain on the former is a composition of lapilli, lava stone, piroclastic material, ash, and a particular, friable rock (locally called Tassone). The property's 173 acres under vine are divided into two farmsteads: Tenuta di San Castrese and Tenuta di Parco Nuovo, closer to the coast. The range - covering no less than 95% of the appellation's entire production of Falerno del Massico! - is styled by Riccardo Cotarella with the founder's son and daughter, Salvatore "Tani" and Maria Ida Avallone. Since the estate's first official vintage in 1976, these exclusive Villa Matilde clones have incarnated a red Falerno del Massico and its white brethren, direct descendants of those wines celebrated by Virgil and Horace.Īll wines are nurtured by the unique microclimate and soil of Villa Matilde: volcanic, mineral-rich hills facing the Mediterranean sun and the sea (just minutes from the gorgeous Gulf of Gaeta), sheltered on three sides by the Massico mountain range. Decades of inspired and dedicated work ultimately bore splendid fruit: 20 original clones of Aglianico, Piedirosso (both red) and Falanghina (white), trademarked as Villa Matilde. In synergy with the University of Naples, his research team found the best surviving vines and patiently grafted cuttings onto new rootstock. In the 1950s and early 1960s, a successful lawyer named Francesco Paolo Avallone set out on a unique mission: bringing this favorite of emperors back to life. (The name, incidentally, comes from "falanga" rather than a particular variety: the varieties themselves being three, both white and red.)
The resulting wine was to become the "immortal Falerno" sung by the great poets of ancient Rome. Where vine shoots had originally laid directly on the ground, it was in northwestern Campania they were first supported by wooden poles (falanga) above the soil. The Avallones have reached an enviable goal: zero greenhouse gas emissions on all properties.Over 3000 years ago, on the lavic, mineral-rich slopes near Mount Massico and the volcano of Roccamonfina, Greek settlers reinvented viticulture, adjusting cultivation methods to the climate and soil of their adoptive home. The Tenute di Altavilla vineyards feature predominantly tuffaceous soil with a high percentage of clay and excellent exposures and slopes. The vineyards have excellent hillside exposures, are considerably steep, and have very old vines. The Rocca dei Leoni soil is volcanic, rich in phosphorus and potassium, and features lush vegetation. The soil is mixed, with areas rich in potassium and phosphorus, volcanic soils with abundant, characteristic microelements, and tuff. Its vicinity to the sea combined with this mountainous ring means ideal ventilation, cool nights and warm days, and maximum sun exposure, right up to late October. The main Villa Matilde location is exceptionally fortunate, boasting volcanic, mineral-rich soils facing the Mediterranean sun and sea, sheltered on three sides by the Massico mountain range. In all four properties, vines are Guyot-trained with an average density, in the newer vineyards, of around 7,000 plants per hectare. The estate now includes two additional properties in the Benevento and Avellino provinces: Tenuta Rocca dei Leoni, with 30 hectares (74 acres) of Campania IGT soil with distinct clones of Falanghina and Aglianico), established in 2000, and Tenute di Altavilla, with 25 hectares (62 acres) within the DOCG appellations of Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino and Taurasi, established in 2004. Originally, Villa Matilde was already split into two properties within the Falerno del Massico DOC appellation (province of Caserta): Tenuta di San Castrese, totaling 46 hectares (114 acres) under vine, and Tenuta di Parco Nuovo, closer to the coast with 21 hectares (52 acres) under vine. Today, twenty original clones of the three varieties are trademarked as Villa Matilde, and Francesco Paolo’s son and daughter, Salvatore “Tani” and Maria Ida Avallone, continue their father’s legacy. A lawyer by profession, his passionate interest in the classics led him to investigate a 3000-year-old wine favored by ancient Roman poets and emperors – the “immortal Falerno.” It was a decade-long quest that ended in the development of prime clones of Aglianico, Piedirosso (both red) and Falanghina (white). Francesco Paolo Avallone founded the estate in the early 1960s.
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