Rocca di Montemassi is an estate in Maremma region in Tuscany on the Tyrrhenian coast. Wines are made under the Maremma Toscana Rosso DOC and Monteregio di Massa Marittima DOC.

Owner: Zonin 1821.

Vineyards: 2018 160 hectares (395 acres) of vines on a 430 hectare estate. 80% red, 20% white. Red grape varieties: 50% Sangiovese, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Syrah, and Merlot. White grape varieties (35 hectares): 88% Vermentino, 12% Viognier.

Other crops: 200 hectares of heritage strains of cereal crops: barley for bread and durum wheat used to make pasta at Rocca di Montemassi. Also 18 hectares of grazing for the local Maremmana cows. Heritage varieties of alfalfa and barley are sown specifically for them. There is also grazing for the draft horses and pigs. Fruit orchards and olive groves. Botanicals–plants grown to flavour spirits like Gin. 

Sustainability: ‘Equalitas’ certified, a sustainability standard which focuses on the social, environmental and economic pillars of sustainability specifically in relation to wine-growing

Organic certification: Full organic certification due for the 2020 harvest.

White wines

Maremma Toscana Vermentino DOC, Calasole: An unoaked dry white made from 100% Vermentino. Ageing the young wine on its spent fermentation yeast for several months before bottling adds a gentle creaminess to Vermentino’s mouthwatering lemon and lime flavours. The name refers to cooling late afternoon breezes of the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea.

Maremma Toscana Viognier DOC, Astraio: An unoaked dry white made from 100% Viognier. It ages on the yeast before bottling, broadening Viognier’s forthright yellow peach and apricot flavours into something subtler, and more savoury. The name refers to the mythical Greek god of astrology.

Maremma Toscana Rosato, Syrosa: This is a 100% Syrah ‘Rosato (pink/rosé) wine, hence the name. The grapes are picked very early morning when cool. The clear juice is allowed to soak for just a few hours on the dark-coloured grapes. Once there is enough pink colour in it the juice is run off the grape skins and fermented, slowly at a cool termature. The result is a mouthwateringly delicate pink wine with pink peach and soft red cherry flavours.

Maremma Toscana, Le Focaie: This 100% Sangiovese red wine takes its name from the mineral-rich soils found in this part of Tuscany’s Maremma coast. Le Focaie is aged in slightly larger barrels than usual–holding the equivalent of 460 rather than 300 bottles. This, coupled with a slightly cooler than usual fermentation allows Sangiovese’s crystalline red fruit flavours to take centre stage, the light oak spice in the background.

Monteregio di Massa Marittima Rosso DOC, Sassabruna: An oak-aged Sangiovese-based red wine whose cherry fruit is fleshed out with small proportions of the blue-berry fruited Merlot with a sprinkle of lightly smoky Syrah to finish.

Maremma Toscana Rosso, Rocca di Montemassi: The estate’s signature red. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot provide its mouthwatering frame, whilst Petit Verdot and Syrah softly fill it with deep, dark, wild fruit holding scents of both the sea and the wild Mediterranean herb-filled scrub. | 2016 35% each Petit Verdot and Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14%. Juicy dark fruit, plenty of bounce as well as depth (tasted 2019).

Museum: Rocca di Montemassi’s Museum of Rural Civilization provides a concise and entertaining overview of the history of wine and farming in Tuscany. From Tuscany’s ancient Etruscans via the Romans to the Renaissance, whose nobles shaped beautiful but productive landscapes, a tradition that guides Rocca di Montemassi to this day.