Cantina Rocca di Frassinello, in the village of Giuncarico, in Gavorrano, is the ideal place to give life to a successful food and wine story.

Inaugurated at the heart of the Tuscan Maremma on 30 June 2007, the Rocca di Frassinello winery was established as a joint venture between Castellare di Castellina and Domaines Barons de Rothschild – Château Lafite, the world-known French wine brand. The building lies at the centre of Maremma, between Bolgheri and Montalcino, and has benefited from the the local long-standing know-how in wine making. Vines have thrived in the area for about three thousand years, namely from the time when the Etruscans cultivated it by exploiting other trees as a support for the vines.
A constant sea breeze blows in the area, sweeping away humidity and mitigating the climate both in winter and summer. Five farms make up the 500 hectares, of which almost 83 are vineyards, preserving the woods inside the property for environmental sustainability. From the Sangioveto vineyards (previously selected Sangiovese close to Castellare di Castellina, where it accounts for 50% of the total hectares), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Vermentino produce wines that combine the best of Italy and France. To stay international, the company called upon architect Renzo Piano who designed an elegant yet functional building on the highest hill at Rocca di Frassinello.

Renzo Piano chose he hill on which to design Rocca di Frassinello, the first and only winery signed by the great Italian architect, turning it into a timeless piece of work that is a hymn to lightness. He didn’t want a classic signature cellar that would end up being a “monument to itself”, but a discreet and poetic building with its highest point as the red tower that can be seen at a distance. Renzo Piano’s essential wine cellar boasts shapes that are functional to a production plant in which the space has been revolutionised to give the winemaking process its place.