Estates
«They say there is a time to sow and a longer time to wait.
I say there was a dreamed-of time that we needed to dream».
from the ballad by Ivano Fossati, C'è tempo (There’s time).
And so the dream came true... to finally present, solely with my daughters Carlotta and Caterina, a winemaking venture that encompasses a set of values: family, supremely well-suited winemaking districts, a love of art, environmental sustainability, modernity that can walk hand in hand with tradition, and the privilege of experience in knowing how to read the evolution of markets. All this, and perhaps more, is contained in the Marilisa Allegrini brand. Three places and three names in Italian wine-growing excellence: Villa Della Torre in Fumane di Valpolicella, Poggio al Tesoro in Bolgheri and San Polo in Montalcino, along with their stories, their landscapes and their wines will accompany our journey, with the help of the men and women who work here, making it vital, unique and identity-driven. All that remains, then, is to take you all back to the dreamed-of time that we needed to dream.
Marilisa Allegrini
Where dreams come true
Villa Della Torre, a magical icon of the Italian Renaissance, is now the proprietary estate of the Mastella Allegrini Family and is the headquarters of the Marilisa Allegrini Group. Its design, by Giulio Romano and Michele Sanmicheli, was inspired by the Domus of Ancient Rome with all its splendor and grandeur. Hence the Peristyle, the true heart of the house, together with the 16th- century motifs of Water, symbolized by the Peschiera, and Fire, immortalized in the huge mascaron fireplaces by the great decorative artist, Giovan Battista Scultori. The octagonal Chapel described by Vasari and the Bucintoro nymphaeum dedicated to Jupiter Ammon complete the extraordinary scenic effect of the entire monumental complex and underline its historical and artistic importance. When she bought the Villa in 2008, Marilisa Allegrini fulfilled the dream she had had as a child, walking through the rooms of the Villa and the surrounding vineyards. Today it houses a Wine&Art Relais and is home to the Villa Della Torre winery.
The wine project championed by the Villa Della Torre company is based on the enhancement of two areas with a strong identity and a supreme vocation for winemaking: Valpolicella Classica and Lugana. Valpolicella has a wealth magnificent grapes and fine wines and has been renowned since ancient times, while in Lugana, vine cultivation benefits from Lake Garda’s precious ecosystem. The company extends over some 25 hectares of which 10 are in the municipality of Pozzolengo and 15 in Valpolicella, in the municipality of Fumane. A young, close-knit agronomic and winemaking team, led by the winemaker Tobia Cenzato, works in and overseas both winegrowing areas. The winery’s kingpin is undoubtedly the vineyard surrounding Villa Della Torre, a successful combination of agriculture and art, which Marilisa likes to define as a garden of vines. Villa Della Torre’s wines – Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Amarone and Lugana – are linked to their noble history but also oriented towards the future: elegant, complex, graceful and enveloping.
Where the stars align
Poggio al Tesoro is the Marilisa Allegrini Group’s estate in Bolgheri. The territory of Bolgheri, which was the chosen land of the Etruscan civilization in ancient times, is one of the most interesting and stunning areas in Tuscany. It owes its fame to the medieval center of Castagneto Carducci, where the monumental Castello della Gherardesca stands out, and, to the west, to the beaches of Marina di Castagneto. From San Guido, driving along the avenue known as the Viale dei Cipressi, immortalized in the poetry of Carducci (Fair cypresses, sweet cypresses so dear, true friends of better times) you reach the fortified village of Bolgheri. In 2001, Marilisa Allegrini, who fell in love with the Bolgheri area, embarked on a policy of expansion and established Poggio Al Tesoro here. Today, the estate is one of the largest in the Bolgheri area, with land located partly in the foothills and partly close to the Tyrrhenian coast.
Poggio Al Tesoro now extends for over 100 hectares, 64 of which are planted with vines, divided into four different estates (Via Bolgherese, Chiesina di San Giuseppe, Le Sondraie and Valle di Cerbaia). They enclose, as if in a treasure chest, unique qualities that come together in an exceptional terroir. The most important vineyards are those located on Strada Bolgherese and in Le Sondraie: the part of the Via Bolgherese appellation is actually known locally as Soprastrada and is considered, in terms of quality, the area that yields the best wines, while the Sondraie estate, with its 50 hectares, is the largest plot of land on the Estate. Poggio Al Tesoro’s production, skillfully managed by the winemaker Christian Coco, focuses on ten different wines: Solosole, Pagus Camilla, Cassiopea, Pagus Cerbaia, Mediterra, Seggio, Sondraia, Sondraia Bianco, Dedicato a Walter and Teos.
Where horizons expand
San Polo is the Marilisa Allegrini Group’s estate in Montalcino. Venturing along the winding road that leads to the summit of ‘Mons Ilcinus’ – the mountain of holm oaks – is almost like taking a journey back in time. Montalcino is a microcosm of stone houses adorned with the districts’ colorful banners, steep steps, and narrow medieval alleys that suddenly open onto breathtaking views. From the sturdy 14th-century fortress that dominates the town, the view embraces an area that needs scarcely any introduction due to the beauty of its landscape, the fame of its wines and its age-old history. It is a succession of crags, dirt roads, wheat and sunflower fields, abbeys, villages and vineyards. Here, in the place where Sangiovese achieves its most sublime potential and gives rise to Brunello, Marilisa Allegrini decided to buy San Polo in 2007, further underpinning the bond that binds her to Tuscany.
San Polo is located in the south-east of Montalcino in the area of Podernovi, and extends over a total of 22 hectares, 16 of which are planted with vines, including 8 that are dedicated to the production of Brunello. In the winery, an impressive example of eco architecture – conceived to reduce energy expenditure and environmental impact – the grapes are processed with artisanal care to enhance the finesse of the aromas of Sangiovese. Starting in 2015 and since winemaker Riccardo Fratton joined the company, San Polo’s agronomic and winemaking team has focused on enhancing each individual vineyard, establishing the parceling of the estate with the aim of exalting and diversifying the Sangiovese grape according to the soils in which it is grown. San Polo’s wines – Rubio, Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello, Brunello Riserva, Amphora Vignamasso, Brunello Podernovi, and Brunello Vignavecchia – reflect and are the result of this choice.
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1983
Entry of Marilisa Allegrini into the family business, CEO and president until 2023
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2001
Acquisition of Poggio Al Tesoro (with 50% shareholders)
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2003
First vintage of Poggio Al Tesoro wines (Sondraia and Dedicato a Walter)
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2007
Acquisition of San Polo (with a 50% partner)
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2008
Acquisition of Villa Della Torre
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2015
Total acquisition of San Polo. Villa Della Torre becomes a Wine&Art Relais with ten rooms
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2017
Marilisa Allegrini appears on the cover of Wine Spectator
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2019
First vintage of Villa Della Torre brand wines (presented in 2021)
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2020
Marilisa Allegrini nominated Cavaliere del Lavoro (Order of Merit for Labor) by President Mattarella
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2022
Acquisition of all shares in Poggio Al Tesoro
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2024
Creation of the New Marilisa Allegrini Group (President) with three vice presidents (Giancarlo, Carlotta, Caterina)
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