Palazzone

Medieval origins

The history of the property predates the winery by centuries. In 1299 Cardinal Teodorico had the Palazzone building constructed at the request of Pope Boniface VIII. Created for the first Jubilee, it served as an hospitalis for pilgrims travelling to Rome. Monaldo Monaldeschi della Cervara, an Orvieto historian from a local noble family, later identified the estate building with that medieval hospice.

1969: the Dubini family arrives

In 1969 the Dubini family acquired the Podere Palazzone at Rocca Ripesena. The more detailed Italian account names Angelo Dubini and his wife, Maria Locatelli, as the purchasers. The hilly land looked towards the tuff cliff of Orvieto and was characterized by sedimentary, clay-rich ground.

Angelo planted the property to vines, choosing varieties intended to produce wines of complexity and character. The current vineyard figure is 24 hectares. The first purpose of the farm was modest: it made wine for the family home, using artisanal methods.

1982: first experimental vintage

In 1982 Angelo's sons Giovanni and Lodovico made the first small vintage from the estate vineyards. Under Giovanni's management, the 1980s became a period of small-scale vinifications and bottlings. These experiments supplied the experience required to establish a dedicated commercial winery.

Terre Vineate was first produced in 1984. Its name, meaning “Vined Lands,” came from a medieval land register and reflected the selection of favorably exposed estate parcels planted with Procanico and Grechetto.

Vendemmia Tardiva followed in 1985, drawing on the local tradition of late-harvest sweet wine. In the same year a devastating winter frost ruined the old olive grove. A particularly promising section of the affected land was subsequently planted with a small vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, laying the foundation for Armaleo.

1988: construction of the winery

By 1988 the volume of estate-grown fruit justified construction of a winery capable of processing the family's entire harvest. The new facility also enabled Palazzone to organize the commercial release and distribution of its wines.

Campo del Guardiano was first produced in 1989 from a favored estate parcel long known by that name among local farmers.

1990s: new varieties and styles

The first Armaleo was produced in 1992. Its name refers to an ancient vine-training system associated with Etruria. Although the wine became an important experiment for the family, it also helped sharpen a longer-term conviction that local varieties should remain the primary focus.

In 1994 Palazzone first produced both Muffa Nobile and its varietal Viognier. The former developed the estate's interest in the suitability of misted Orvieto vineyards for Botrytis cinerea, while the latter formed part of its research into distinctive non-local varieties. Palazzone describes itself as one of Italy's early growers of Viognier.

A varietal Grechetto followed in 1997, presented as a recovery and renewed appreciation of an old Umbrian grape.

2001 and the third generation

A varietal Sangiovese was first produced in 2001. The family regarded its renewed commitment to Sangiovese as a demanding but territorially grounded counterpart to its work with Orvieto's white varieties.

Management has now reached the third generation with Pietro Dubini, grandson of the founding generation. The medieval Palazzone building has meanwhile undergone a restoration that respected its historic architecture and now houses a boutique hotel with suites.

Rocca Ripesena and Orvieto

The vineyards lie on the hillside between Rocca Ripesena and the Romitorio, close to Orvieto. Their elevations range from 210 to 340 metres above sea level. The gently rounded slopes generally face east or east-northeast, although particular sites have distinct orientations.

A tuff formation dominates the Rocca Ripesena landscape and echoes the tuff platform supporting the city of Orvieto. The estate relates both formations to intense tectonic activity and presents fire and water as the fundamental forces that shaped the surrounding landscape. Large oaks and chestnut trees form part of the vegetation around the vineyards.

Geology and parcel variation

The vineyard substrate contains clay, silt and sandy layers. Approximately 2.5 million years ago, the area was seabed. Fine material transported by ancient rivers accumulated over that marine floor, creating the sedimentary structure found in the vineyards today.

The vineyards form a mosaic of small and sometimes very small areas, each with precise differences in soil and vine response. Long observation over many harvests guides the recognition and use of those variations.

Morning mist is especially relevant to the north- and northwest-facing site used for Muffa Nobile, where it can encourage Botrytis cinerea. Other explicitly differentiated sites include east-facing selections for Terre Vineate and the east-northeast-facing Campo del Guardiano and Armaleo parcels.

The 24 hectares are divided into a mosaic of small and sometimes very small areas. The family describes knowing the vineyards metre by metre and plant by plant, using experience accumulated over many growing seasons and harvests to identify how soils change and how individual vines respond.

Work in the vineyard is based on continuity rather than isolated corrective measures. This approach reflects the family's view that Orvieto's varieties reveal improvement gradually and that durable quality must be built in the vines. Ongoing experience and renewal are therefore directed first toward the vineyard.

The most specifically documented selective harvest concerns the botrytized parcel: morning mist promotes Botrytis cinerea, and affected bunches are picked meticulously between October and November. Musco comes from a small mixed planting of native varieties and is harvested by hand.

From household wine to an estate cellar

Palazzone began by making artisanal wine for family consumption. Some rudimentarily made white wines retained their integrity for ten years, an experience that shaped the family's belief in the ageing potential of the place. Bottles of local country sweet wine similarly inspired its first work with late-harvest and sweet styles.

Giovanni and Lodovico Dubini made the first small estate vintage in 1982. Small vinifications and bottlings continued under Giovanni's management during the 1980s. In 1988 Palazzone constructed a dedicated winery capable of processing the entire estate-grown harvest and supporting commercial releases.

Maturation and release

The family links fermentation and cellar maturation to Orvieto's ability to gain complexity over time. Its white wines receive a substantial period of maturation and are not released before late spring. The intended development moves beyond youthful immediacy toward a more articulated profile that unfolds gradually.

The cellar approach serves a vineyard-led conception of quality and preserves vintage differences. The range combines traditional Orvieto blends, varietal interpretations, late-harvest and botrytized wines, and red-wine experiments, but the declared long-term priority remains the expression of the estate and its locally rooted grapes.

Palazzone presents the estate as a responsibility as much as a possession. Its location, the history of Orvieto and the potential of the land underpin a deliberate commitment to the area even when that direction runs against fashion or market trends.

Family is described as the force holding the work together—not merely through a division of duties, but through a shared attachment to daily life at Palazzone. Living and working there is regarded as a privilege whose value becomes clearest during difficult periods.

The family respects the traditional composition of Orvieto, allowing Grechetto and Procanico to retain distinct roles: Grechetto is understood as the more immediate and fragrant component, while Procanico supplies a more serious, mineral character. The stylistic objective is a central Italian white that is graceful yet incisive, Mediterranean in character but firmly structured. Accessibility also matters: Palazzone values making a dependable white at an encouraging price while preserving perceptible differences between vintages.

Wine is conceived first through the vineyard. Because the Orvieto varieties are not considered immediately expressive or easy to improve, progress depends on continuity rather than dramatic interventions. The family characterizes this long process as a qualitative re-education.

Ageing capacity is another defining theme. Early artisanal whites that remained sound at ten years old suggested the land's potential for longevity, while bottles of country-made sweet wine helped inspire Palazzone's first sweet styles. Adequate cellar maturation is intended to let Orvieto shed simple youthfulness and develop a more layered identity.

Armaleo represented an experiment with an ambitious international-variety red. The experience ultimately reinforced the view that native grapes should remain the principal objective. This conviction led to renewed investment in Sangiovese, accepted as a challenge comparable to the family's work with Orvieto.