About 20 minutes southeast by car from the marvelous stone town of Massa Marittima with its 13th century Romanesque cathedral (above left), the Rocca di Montemassi estate celebrates the Maremma farming heritage all the way back to the Etruscans. It is only a short distance from Rocca di Frassinello (see previous post) but its style is lovingly retro.

The Zonin family—famed for winemaking in the Veneto, Piedmont, Friuli, Tuscany, Lombardy, Sicily, and Puglia—purchased the land in 1999. Vines of Sangiovese, Vermentino, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, and Petit Verdot cover about 15 hectares (37 acres) of the 20 hectare (49 acre) farm.

“Farm” is the operative word. Not only do the Zonins produce wine here, they also keep pigs and Maremma cattle, a heritage breed used for both milk and meat, and grow wheat and chickpeas. Visitors can inquire about agriturismo rooms for the full immersion experience, but anyone who visits the estate can visit the cellars, vineyards, and a charming “Museum of Rural Civilization.” This collection was assembled by Gianni Zonin and his wife Silvana to show old-fashioned farming in the area. (Strada Provinciale Pian del Bichi, Montemassi; +39 0564 579700; roccadimontemassi.it)

Respectful farming can lead to extraordinary wines

Under the direction of Alessandro Gallo, the winemaking represents the best of the old and new. I was very pleasantly surprised by Calasole, the estate Vermentino. It’s rich and fleshy, like biting into a fully ripe stone fruit, and has the aggressive acidity to hold its own against an oily fish. The name is a local play on words. It means “sunset,” but it’s also the name of the breeze from the sea that whisks through the Maremma hills late in the day. Gallo spikes the Vermentino with 5-10 percent Viognier for extra structure and long finish. The wine also spends six months on the lees before bottling, which explains the hazelnut toastiness on the nose.

The flagship red here was a complete surprise to me. Called simply Rocca di Montemassi, it is a Maremma Toscana IGT wine made entirely from international grape varieties. The dominant grapes are Petit Verdot (45 percent) and Syrah (20 percent). Another 20 percent of Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 percent of Merlot provide aromatic complexity. The nose is a bouquet of plum, lilac, violet, cherry, and eucalyptus. As the wine opens in the glass, the sweet tobacco of Syrah comes forward. The tannins are very smooth and velvety, partly from aging in large-format neutral barrels. As ripening the Cabernet is something of a crapshoot, the wine isn’t made every year. Since the Zonin family does its own importing, Rocca di Montemassi is widely available in the U.S., retailing for around $30.