Lazio wines are probably the hardest working wines in Italy, for it’s Lazio that has the desire, the will and the soil to be the next break out region. It will always be a mystery to me why Lazio is overlooked for red wine, that the county that borders both Tuscany and Campania was doomed to producing cheapy whites for the millions in the capital.

Lazio’s volcanic soils produce wonderful red wines and if Falesco have moved in we can expect other bordering giants to do the same, perhaps it won’t be too long before Antinori and Gaja begin showing an interest in this relatively cheap area. In the meantime we can enjoy the wines of the highly successful
Casale del Giglio and Falesco a few of which are reviewed below.Undoubtedly the best wine of the region is the Falesco Montiano, but sadly my local wine shop had sold out so I didn’t get to review it for this blog entry. :o(
San Marco Solo Shiraz 2005 – BUY – €8
Dark ruby red with some brown hues, nice colour of medium intensity. Spicy, flashy nose of cherries with a hint of orange, cinnamon and spicebox. A nice palate, very fruity with a good balance, a little acidic with medium body. A good value wine, a little too simplistic but pleasant and fruity nonetheless. Worth a try for the money. 88 Points
Casale del Giglio Chardonnay 2006 – PASS – €10
Light straw colour with some greenish hues. Not much of a nose with some strange earthy character with apples and citrus fruits. Not unpleasant but a strange Chardonnay, none of the normal qualities of the grape. Fresh and clean palate with a short finish. 82 Points
Casale del Giglio Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 – PASS – €24
Dark purple colour with some nice berry/cassis aromas with some dried fruits in there too. Very high quality nose and a great colour, the palate is not as impressive. Still has some nice tannins and plenty of fruit and a good thick body. I can’t recommend this wine simply because it isn’t as good as the ’01 or the ’04. Find the other vintages and then you have a great wine. 89 Points +
Falesco Tellus 2006 – BUY – €6
Smart, blended wine that ticks all the boxes for wine under $10. Deep ruby red, not far from a purple colour with a full nose of licorice, mint, cherries, tobacco and vanilla, even some espresso in there too. Charming palate with silky tannins and a lot of fruit. Its simplistic, there are not multiple layers to this wine but it’s a good quality solid red with excellent QPR. 87 Points
Related Post – Abbuoto
It has to be Chardonnay!
Yellowtail and Gallo.
White Mountain ;op
Seconded Yellowtail but also Blue Nun, Liebfraumilsch
Sparkling Asti is pretty sick
LAMBRINI
I picked up a few Lazio wines from Casale del Giglio and the Cabernet was really muck. I agree with the Petit Verdot being the best of the bunch, interesting to see it being grown so well in Lazio of all places.
Thanks for this article! I'm attending a Lazio tasting next Tuesday in London and wanted to read up. I will remember to avoid the Est! Est!! Est!!! 😉