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Le Pupille

In the 1990's Fattoria Le Pupille became an established name on the world stage for its consistency and quality of its wines. Situated in the Tuscan region of Maremma, right in the heart of the DOCG of Morellino di Scansano, winemaker Elisabetta Geppetti produces wines mainly from Sangiovese Grosso, locally called Morellino. They are as exuberant fresh, vibrant and accessible as Italian wines get.

"The new mecca of Tuscan wine is the Maremma, the hills inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea between Bolgheri and the border of Lazio. Wine producers from elsewhere in Tuscany and beyond have bought up vineyards there lately with a frenzy reminiscent of a gold rush. The focus of activity is the Scansano DOC zone southeast of the city of Grosseto, in arid hills that had been noted since the early nineteenth century as a modest source of red wine from Sangiovese, known locally as Morellino.

Production of Morellino in a modern context dates to 1978, when Alfredo Gentile began using French barriques to mature the wines of his family estate of Le Pupille. Counseled by the noted enologist Giacomo Tachis, Gentile also planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Alicante as the base of Saffredi, a Super-Tuscan that has made a greater impact on the critics. Today Le Pupille is owned by Gentile's daughter-in-law Elisabetta Geppetti, who works with her husband Stefano Rizzi and winemaker Christian Le Sommer. Elisabetta has continued to make Saffredi while renewing interest in Morellino, notably in the single-vineyard Poggio Valente from the 1997 vintage, a wine that may not show the international style of her Super-Tuscan but surpasses it in native integrity." Burton Anderson's Best Italian Wines  

"We must remember that Fattoria Le Pupille was the first winery to reveal to enthusiasts all the potential of the Morellino hills back when they were generally considered to be wild and desolate. Today, Elisabetta Geppetti still works with the same commitment and passion she has always shown and the impaccable quality of the wines is her most reliable witness." Gambero Rosso 2009