Pasetti

Origins in the Bourbon period

The Pasetti family’s winegrowing tradition reaches back to the Bourbon period and now extends across more than two centuries and more than five generations.

Recovery after phylloxera

Following the devastation caused by phylloxera, the family restarted its activity by growing and trading grapes. This re-established viticulture before the business developed into a wine producer.

The 1950s: transition to winemaking

During the 1950s, the family began transforming its own grapes into wine. The operation subsequently became a recognized regional point of reference.

The 1960s: direct sales

In the 1960s, Franco Pasetti opened what the family describes as its first zero-kilometre sales outlet, creating a direct link between production and customers.

A new identity in the mountains

As demand grew for products with a stronger and more recognizable identity, the family developed a new project and moved production toward Abruzzo’s mountain areas. Vineyards were established within the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, forming the basis of the Pasetti and Testarossa ranges.

Pescosansonesco became the home of Tenuta Testarossa and its historic vineyards. Capestrano added a contrasting site for native white grapes, while Castiglione a Casauria broadened the work with Cordisco and international varieties.

The Forca di Penne project

The most recent expansion is the acquisition of 150 hectares at Forca di Penne, at 1,050 metres above sea level. The site, crossed by the Tratturo Magno and marked by its Medicean tower, is intended for Metodo Classico sparkling-wine production.

The family today

Domenico “Mimmo” Pasetti manages the company with his three children. Francesca Rachele oversees administration, Massimo leads exports and international visibility, and winemaker Davide is responsible for wine production.

Pasetti’s vineyards occupy a sequence of Abruzzese sites ranging from foothills to high mountain terrain, principally within the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park.

Pescosansonesco

Pescosansonesco lies at approximately 550 metres above sea level in an agricultural and pastoral zone where high hills meet the inner mountain belt. The soils are clay-limestone and rich in organic matter. More detailed vineyard descriptions identify a loamy, clayey and calcareous matrix, natural slopes, north-east exposure and, in some places, abundant skeletal material.

Strong day-to-night temperature variations are partly moderated by sea breezes. Summers are dry and well ventilated, encouraging slow, gradual ripening. The combination is associated with acidity, structure and ageing capacity. The vineyards stand at the foot of the central Gran Sasso massif; the historic Tenuta Testarossa plots are located here.

Capestrano and Capodacqua

Capestrano is upstream of the Valle del Tirino and its river. Most vineyards are presented at 450 metres, while a sparkling-wine parcel reaches 480 metres. Large temperature variations help retain acidity and favour aromatic development.

The soils have a pebbly-sandy matrix with effective drainage, allowing roots to penetrate deeply. These conditions are associated with freshness, minerality and savouriness. Mimmo Pasetti concentrated native white varieties—Passerina, Pecorino and Trebbiano—in this area. Cordisco, Chardonnay and Pinot Nero are also grown for rosé and sparkling production. Capodacqua is identified as a locality within this production area.

Castiglione a Casauria

The current detailed vineyard description places these foothill vineyards at approximately 350 metres. Together with Pescosansonesco, they have south-east exposure and loose, deep, gently sloping loamy-clay soils with good drainage. The site is used to combine Cordisco’s structure with the freshness and softness contributed by varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon; the broader territory description also names Merlot.

Forca di Penne

Forca di Penne reaches 1,050 metres above sea level. The family’s 150-hectare acquisition is crossed by the historic Tratturo Magno and includes a Medicean tower associated with UNESCO recognition. Its altitude and mountain conditions underpin a project dedicated to Metodo Classico sparkling wines.

Across the four areas, elevations therefore range from approximately 350 to 1,050 metres, with the main established vineyards concentrated at 450–550 metres.

The vineyards are cultivated in protected mountain and foothill environments with an expressly stated commitment to environmental respect. No formal organic, biodynamic or sustainability certification is identified.

Planting density varies by site and vine material. Many current blocks are planted at 5,200 vines/ha; a Trebbiano vineyard is planted at 4,200 vines/ha, while the traditional two-hectare Pescosansonesco tendone has approximately 1,600 vines/ha and vines more than 60 years old.

Yields are adjusted to variety and intended style. Documented figures range from approximately 60 q/ha for Moscatello di Castiglione and 95 q/ha in the old Montepulciano vineyard to roughly 120–170 q/ha in several white, rosé and sparkling blocks. Broader young-wine plantings carry higher maximum yields under their production rules.

Harvesting combines mechanical efficiency with selective hand work. Mechanized collection is used for several white, rosé and younger red vineyards, generally from early September to mid-October. Hand harvesting in small crates is reserved for fragile or selected material, including Chardonnay and Pinot Nero toward the end of August, Moscatello di Castiglione in early September, selected Trebbiano in mid-September and old-vine Montepulciano between mid- and late October. The company emphasizes timely delivery and intact bunches.

Moscatello di Castiglione has small, loose bunches suited to drying either on the vine or after picking. Pasetti’s passito fruit is collected manually and dried in a fruttaio. For the white blend Rachele, the best available grape lots are selected anew each year.

The company’s winery is based in Francavilla al Mare, while Tenuta Testarossa in Pescosansonesco is identified as both a production area and agricultural estate. Production encompasses red, white, rosé, Metodo Classico and passito techniques.

White and rosé production

White grapes are generally softly pressed and the must clarified by static settling. Fermentation commonly takes place in stainless steel with selected yeasts at 14–16 °C. Several wines remain in steel, sometimes on fine lees; cold settling is also used for stabilization.

For selected Trebbiano, fermentation is divided between stainless steel and barriques, with 90% in steel and 10% in barrel. Rosé production includes pre-fermentation cryomaceration at 8 °C for 12–18 hours, followed by soft pressing, static clarification and cool stainless-steel fermentation. A separate Cerasuolo approach employs partial fermentative maceration to obtain colour without excessive tannin, followed by fine-lees maturation and bottle ageing.

Red production

Red grapes undergo maceration and alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel. Current protocols range from approximately 8–10 days for younger reds to 12–14 days for the most structured old-vine material. Selected yeasts are employed at controlled temperatures generally spanning 20–24 °C. Malolactic fermentation is spontaneous.

Maturation depends on the intended expression. Younger reds may remain entirely in steel before bottle ageing. More structured Montepulciano can pass through cement and mature in large 20- and 60-hectolitre oak casks. The longest-lived selection spends 24 months in first-use French-oak barriques followed by extended bottle ageing.

Metodo Classico

Chardonnay and Pinot Nero bunches are washed, cooled to 8 °C and softly pressed whole, with selection of the free-run must. Static settling precedes fermentation in stainless steel with selected yeasts at 14–16 °C. After racking, the wine undergoes a second fermentation by the traditional method at 18 °C, followed by prolonged ageing on the lees in bottle and disgorgement.

Passito

Moscatello di Castiglione is dried for 40 days in a fruttaio. The dried grapes then undergo a 24-hour cryomaceration, followed by separation and pressing. Fermentation runs at 16–18 °C and is stopped at 14–15% alcohol to retain residual sugar. The wine matures in stainless steel and then in bottle.