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THE ESTATE
Argillae’s estate stretches over an area of approximately 120 hectares between the hills of Allerona and Ficulle, north west of the city of Orvieto.
CALANCHI
The soil is characterized by clay and sand that in some hilly slopes make up the so called “calanchi”. These are deep and wide splits of soil made by the atmospheric erosion 2 millions of years ago.
FOSSILS
The soil is mostly made up of clay, sand, limestone and rocks but what makes it truly unique is that it contains a lot of fossils (such us seashells) from the Pliocene period. These fossils enrich the soil with mineral components which pass into the wine.
THE VINEYARDS
The vineyards are about 15 hectares, situated at an altitude of 150 to 300 metres above sea level, have an east–west exposure on the sunny hills.
VINES
Argillae focuses mainly on local grape varieties Grechetto, Procanico, Verdello, Drupeggio and Montepulciano, but also has international varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
CULTIVATION
The harvest and the pruning are strictly handmade. A special regard is dedicated to the environment during the cultivation of the vineyards.
Training systems: spurred cordon and guyot
THE CELLAR
The cellar has been built in a style that blends in with the surroundings. It has been equipped with the best cutting edge technologies. On the first floor the wines are stored and refined in stainless steel tanks. There is also a laboratory and a modern tasting room, where visitors can try all Argillae's wines while they enjoy a buffet of local products.
In the basement the wines are aged in French oak barrels. These are located in two separated rooms: one for the white wines and one for the red wines so that the refining process can be controlled independently.
THE OLIVE GROVE
Argillae olive grove covers an area of 9 hectares and it is made up of different varieties of plants (Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo).
The microclimate, the perfect exposure and the good ventilation guarantee an excellent production of olives. These are harvested at the right time and immediately cold pressed.
All these careful processes lead to the production of a top quality extra virgin olive oil reflecting Umbria's prestigious tradition. .
Argillae’s estate is partly covered by woodlands featuring a dense Mediterranean vegetation. The area has an incredible naturalistic value with many different kinds of botanic species (holm-oaks, oaks, holly, strawberry trees, brooms), winged animals (buzzards, falcons, pheasants) and game like wild boars. It is not unusual to find - in the right period- two more typical products of the region: mushrooms and truffles.
THE FAMILY
Argillae reflects the same love of land and nature as it's founder Cavaliere del Lavoro Giuseppe Bonollo. After creating the biggest Italian Distillery, the Bonollo Spa, Giuseppe started searching for a piece of land suited for the production of high-quality wines.
After much research, this was found within the beautiful hills north of Orvieto, Umbria Region. It was the beginning of a new compelling venture that would lead to the birth of Argillae winery.
Today the winery is managed by new generations of the Bonollo family.