Tenuta Carapace

The relationship with Arnaldo Pomodoro

The cultural relationship that would eventually give rise to the Carapace began in 1984, when Gino Lunelli met the artist Arnaldo Pomodoro. Their friendship led to several collaborations: Pomodoro created a commemorative disc for Ferrari Trento's 90th anniversary in 1992 and the monumental Centenarium spiral for the entrance to the Ferrari winery in 2002.

Acquisition and development of the Umbrian estate

In 2001, attracted by Umbria and the power and longevity associated with Sagrantino, the Lunelli family acquired 30 hectares of vineyards in the communes of Bevagna and Montefalco. Some of the land was already planted. The family's first work concentrated on the vineyards: new blocks were planted, while existing plantings were improved through an extensive clonal-selection programme. Historic estate vines were subsequently included in the Patriarchs Project, developed with the Agricultural Institute of San Michele all'Adige.

The first Montefalco Sagrantino vintage was produced in 2003. The estate's Montefalco Rosso followed in 2004. Lampante, the Montefalco Rosso Riserva selected from the Le Fonti and Saraceno vineyards, entered production with the 2008 vintage.

Conception and construction of the Carapace

A purpose-built winery became necessary as the project developed. The Lunelli family invited Pomodoro to create it, building on their longstanding friendship and earlier artistic collaborations. During his first inspection of the estate, Pomodoro recognized similarities between the Umbrian landscape and the Montefeltro scenery of his birthplace, as represented in paintings by Piero della Francesca. He therefore conceived a building that would integrate with the gentle vineyard-covered hills rather than contrast with them.

Pomodoro formulated the definitive idea in 2005: a form recalling a tortoise and its shell, joining earth and sky and symbolizing stability and longevity. The concept also connected the building to the ageing capacity of Sagrantino. Construction lasted six years. Pomodoro directed a workshop-like team, while architect Giorgio Pedrotti handled the principal technical aspects.

The Carapace was inaugurated and opened for visits and tastings in June 2012. The winery became Pomodoro's first sculpture designed as a place in which people could live and work. Soon after opening, it received the UNESCO La Fabbrica nel Paesaggio award and was presented at the Venice Biennale in the Architectures of Made in Italy section.

Organic conversion and later development

The estate's wines have carried organic certification from the 2014 harvest. All Tenute Lunelli vineyards, including the Umbrian holdings, have been Biodiversity Friend certified since 2015. The same year marked the first vintage of Carapace Lunga Attesa, a long-aged Sagrantino derived from the approximately 30-year-old Vigna al Pozzo vineyard.

In 2016, plans, a 1:20 model and a virtual-reality tour of the Carapace were displayed at the Triennale di Milano during celebrations for Pomodoro's 90th birthday. The installation allowed visitors to explore the vineyards, dome and underground barrel cellar virtually.

Recent recognition and cultural activity

In 2024, the Carapace entered the World's Best Vineyards ranking at number 25 and received the title Highest New Entry. In 2025, the second edition of the Decanto Untold guide named the estate Best Winery in Umbria. The same year marked the twentieth anniversary of Pomodoro's original concept. Tenute Lunelli also expanded its relationship with the Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, where Matteo Lunelli serves on the board, through exhibitions and cultural initiatives.

Forbes Italia included Tenuta Carapace among its 100 Iconic Wineries in 2026, recognizing the integration of wine culture, innovation, place, architecture and winemaking. On 28 May 2026, the centenary of Pomodoro's birth was commemorated with Carapace Centenario, a collector's edition of 100 three-litre bottles whose copper label and graphic symbol refer directly to the winery's architecture and Pomodoro's design language.

The Lunelli family initially concentrated its work on the vineyards after acquiring the estate in 2001. It established new plantings and improved existing blocks through an extensive programme of clonal selection. The finest historic estate vines were studied and selected through the Patriarchs Project, carried out with the Agricultural Institute of San Michele all'Adige.

The Umbrian estate has been certified organic from the 2014 harvest. Its vineyards have also held Biodiversity Friend certification since 2015. The wider sustainability approach is intended to reconcile grape quality with the health of vineyard workers and protection of the environment and viticultural heritage.

Cordon spur is the documented training system. A density of 6,250 vines per hectare applies to the principal estate selections, while the older Vigna al Pozzo block has 2,500 vines per hectare. Harvesting is manual: Sangiovese, Sagrantino, Cabernet and Merlot are collected during September and October, while selected Sagrantino may be picked at the end of October. Vigna al Pozzo is harvested in three separate passes, followed by bunch selection.

The Carapace was designed simultaneously as a sculpture and a working winery. Pomodoro's artistic concept therefore had to remain strictly functional for wine production. Its interior includes an underground barrel cellar, with a central tasting space inspired by an ancient Assyrian and Babylonian ziggurat.

Production employs stainless-steel tanks, wooden vats, terracotta jars and amphorae, 225-litre barriques, 500-litre tonneaux and large oak casks. Red-wine protocols include cold pre-maceration at 12°C for 20–30 hours, fermentation at a maximum of 26–28°C in either stainless steel or wooden vats, and maceration lasting 15–20 days.

Maturation options range from barriques and tonneaux to large casks. Depending on the selection, documented cellar ageing extends from 12 months in barriques and tonneaux to 18 months in tonneaux and large casks or 24 months in large oak casks, followed by at least 6–12 months in bottle.

The estate also works with separate fermentations in three materials: stainless steel, 10 hl truncated-conical wooden vats, and Tuscan terracotta jars and amphorae. The resulting lots are assembled in proportions adjusted to the vintage, then matured in large wood for at least three years; the complete wood-and-bottle ageing cycle extends to seven years.

Sagrantino destined for the traditional sweet style is semi-dried on racks. All documented estate harvests are manual, with later picking and multiple passes used for selected Sagrantino parcels.

The Lunelli family's Umbrian project is built around interpreting Sagrantino and the territory of Bevagna and Montefalco through wines intended to combine power and longevity with elegance. Time is treated as an essential production element: grapes must ripen fully on the vine, and the wines are allowed to mature slowly in the cellar.

The family describes itself as working like an “artisan of time.” Its visual identity draws on lunar phases, while the ideas of Kronos—time in its continuous passage—and Kairos—the appropriate moment—express the importance assigned to patience and timing.

The stated production vision seeks a balance between innovation and tradition and, specifically for Sagrantino, between power and grace. Territorial fidelity, ageing capacity and elegance are recurring objectives.

Sustainability is treated as inseparable from winegrowing. The intended balance combines grape quality, the health of those working the vineyards and protection of the environment. The architectural philosophy follows the same principle of integration: the Carapace was conceived to emerge from and converse with the landscape while remaining fully functional as a winery.

Art is not presented merely as decoration. The Carapace embodies the family's broader ideal of joining beauty, craftsmanship, agriculture and territorial culture, while its ongoing relationship with the Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro extends that dialogue into exhibitions and cultural initiatives.