Cesanese del Piglio
Cesanese di Olevano Romano DOC, Cesanese d’Affile DOC
Lazio, Lazio...Lazio? We all know Rome, but the surrounding areas of this historical and awe inspiring city fall into the abyss of an Italia Sconosciuta (Unknown Italy). The region’a claim to fame is the majestic city and therefore, we are hard pressed for a reason to visit any of its other towns. Unless of course, you’re looking for wine country.
The terrain of Lazio is hilly with pockets of ancient volcanic soils, spent crater lakes, and is primed for quality winemaking. Like much of southern Italy, being a lesser known wine region typically means two things in terms of wine production: 1. Excellent terroir driven, hidden gem wines made with indigenous varieties, or 2. More mainstream, high quantity/ bulk production, not so great chuggers. You might be surprised to hear that Lazio is home to a very real and strong natural wine movement. Is movement even the right word to use? Many of the vignaioli here that we can credit with resurrecting small production, terroir driven wines do not advertise or market themselves as trendy natural winemakers. One gets the feeling that doing so would almost be counter to their life’s work, it’s just what they do. While my hope is these regions will gain momentum as a quality wine zone, for now, these focused and hardworking vignaioli remain somewhat unknown outside of more intimate wine circles, keeping the mystery of Lazio alive.
Piglio, Olevano, and Affile are all municipalities and towns in inland Lazio, closer to the foothills of the Apennines. Their positions form a triangle and an ancient stronghold for the Cesanese grape. The terroirs are similar in that the soils are a mix of volcanic material and calcareous clays. This article will focus on the Piglio area due to its DOCG status and historical significance.
Cesanese del Piglio is a subregion of the Piglio DOCG distinguished by the almost exclusive use of the Cesanese grape. Piglio is a town and commune located in the province of Frosinone in the region of Lazio at the base of the Apennines. The Cesanese del Piglio DOCG covers the communes of Piglio, Serrone, Acuto, Anagni, and Paliano.
The Name:
The Cesanese name is from the town of Cesano in the Castelli Romani area of Lazio, forever confirming that Italian grape varieties are inextricably linked to very specific places.
While it’s now considered a Medieval town, Piglio had great significance in ancient Rome. It was a Roman Capitulum, or a charter/chapter, in Rome’s rise to glory. The name is thought to derive from the Latin “pileum”, which means the feathers on the top of the head of a bird. The name perhaps refers to the pileum of the helmet of general Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, a key and celebrated political warrior in Rome’s early formative era. He apparently pushed out native Italic tribes, such as the Liguri, before Rome laid claim to all of Italy. Legend refers to him as the "The Shield of Rome"- therefore, it is not too far of a reach to think a town be named after one of his military paraphernalia.
The History:
After the fall of Rome, Italy as a whole experienced 13 centuries of various rulers, divisions, and ever-changing geographical boundaries. Certain regions in the North were more stable, with powerful ruling families that were able to stave off rampant disorganization. Lazio perhaps experienced some stability when it became part of the Papal States (territories of central Italy that were controlled by the Pope and the Papacy from 756-1870). The fortress of Piglio passed among various families that ‘ruled’ the area, all in the name of the Pope and the Church. In the late 12th century, Piglio was a fiefdom of the De Pileo family, which means “of Pileo (Pileum→Pileo→Piglio), further alluding to the origin of the names. Lazio, and therefore Piglio, did not become a part of Italy until 1870, after the initial unification of the country in 1861.
Piglio maintains its medieval architectural heritage. Its isolated position and stone walls were meant to keep people out. Subsequently, these walls protected traditions of language, food, and wine. Cesanese is an ancient native grape to Lazio and it is not a wild assumption to think that ancient Romans such as Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, enjoyed wines made from the Cesanese grape. The grape and wine remained popular among commoners and Papal royalty alike, though most likely in the sweet, fizzy style of the time.
Like most Italian wine growing regions, there was a major decline in viticulture in the Lazio countryside due to the post unification economic crisis and two world wars. Almost every viticultural area was abandoned in the 1960s and ‘70s in search of work in the northern industrial cities. Vignioli and farmers today are still in recovery mode from this agricultural devastation and we owe it to the fervor, passion, and hard work of these younger farmer/winemakers that the Cesanese grape is thriving.
The Land:
Lazio is home to four volcanic zones, named after the extinct volcanoes of the area: Volsini, Cimini, Sabatini, and Colli Albani (Albani Hills). Some of these lakes are large enough to influence the local climate, the most recognizable and largest being Bolsena. In fact, Lago di Bolsena is the largest volcanic lake in Europe.
Piglio is inland at the foothills of the Apennine mountain range, here the Tyrhennian sea has little to no influence over the region. The terrain is hilly and rocky at the foothills of Monti Ernici. While Piglio is also not in the vicinity of these crater lakes, and therefore volcanos, pyroclastic volcanic eruptions can launch material extremely long distances, which is the case from these ancient explosions. Therefore, there are pockets of volcanic soils in the growing area of Piglio. They are mineral rich, with intermixing of limestone. Vines here grow between 300-550 m above sea level, making this area cooler and more continental than growing zones closer to the coast.
There are two other wine appellations in Lazio that have Cesanese in their name: Cesanese di Olevano Romano DOC/ Olevano Romano DOC and the Cesanese d’Affile DOC/ Affile DOC.
The Grapes:
If you are familiar with Italy, you know that everything is hyper local, wine and food alike. While you may find some Cesanese plantings outside of Lazio, no other region dare lay “Spiritual Home” claim to this grape other than Lazio. The origins of Cesanese are not entirely clear, but it is indeed a grape of antiquity. There is no nod to it being of Greek origin, nor of being an offspring of other varietal crossings-its true origins are most likely from the Castelli Romani area of Lazio.
There are two main biotypes of Cesanese: Cesanese d’Affile and Cesanese Comune. Along the DNA chain, the two types are genetically identical but exhibit enough physical and behavioral differences that they are classified as separate biotypes. As you might suspect, the d’Affile means that this Cesanese comes from Affile, a town just outside of Rome. Most producers agree that the small leafed and smaller berried Cesanese d’Affile makes a better quality and more ageable wine. Perhaps because of its preference for higher altitude, the d’Afille Cesanese tends to make lighter, more brightly acidic wines. In its perfect form, it is also a touch floral and walks this earthy-slightly aromatic line that makes it all the more complex and intriguing. The Commune biotype is capable of fuller bodied, less aromatically nuanced wines.
Cesanese di Piglio DOCG requirements
The wines must be at least 90% Cesanese di Affile and/or Cesanese Commune, from the Piglio zone.
Cesanese di Olevano Romano DOC
The wines must be at least 85% Cesanese di Affile and/or Cesanese Commune from the Olevano zone.
Cesanese d’Affile DOC
The smallest of the Cesanese appellations. Wines must be a minimum of 90% Cesanese d’Affile from the Affile zone.