Storia
Vineyards established from 1970
The vineyards associated with Tenuta Roccaleoni were planted in multiple phases beginning in 1970. They lie in the inland Sannio area of the province of Benevento and include sites around Torrecuso, Foglianise and Ponte. Falanghina and Aglianico are the two varieties identified with the estate.
The second generation and the creation of the Sannio estate
Maria Ida and Salvatore Avallone assumed leadership of the family wine project in 1985. Under their direction it expanded beyond its original territory and into other parts of Campania.
In 2000 they launched the Sannio property in the province of Benevento under the name Tenuta Rocca dei Leoni, the earlier form of the present name Tenuta Roccaleoni. That year was also the first production vintage recorded for both the Roccaleoni Falanghina and Aglianico wines. The new estate represented the family project’s move into inland Campania.
Tenuta Roccaleoni today
Tenuta Roccaleoni now forms the Sannio, or inland-vineyard, component of a three-territory Campanian project alongside the family’s holdings in the Ager Falernus and Irpinia. Its Falanghina and Aglianico ripen slowly in the inland hills and are intended to express the identity of this part of Campania.
The third generation continues the family project. Maria Cristina Avallone works as its oenologist, translating the family vision into wine style and technical precision, while Francesco Paolo Avallone oversees marketing and international sales.
Terroir
Inland Sannio
Tenuta Roccaleoni is the inland-vineyard component of the family’s Campanian holdings, situated in Sannio in the province of Benevento. Its production areas extend through Torrecuso, Foglianise and Ponte. Falanghina and Aglianico ripen slowly in this inland setting.
Elevation and soils
The documented vineyards stand at approximately 400 m above sea level, but the two varieties occupy contrasting soil environments.
The Falanghina sites around Foglianise and Ponte have volcanic soils containing grey tuff, ash and black pumice. The Aglianico sites around Torrecuso and Foglianise are rich in sandstone-derived clays, quartz sandstone and fossil deposits. These distinct soil profiles underpin the estate’s white- and red-grape plantings within the Sannio hills.
Vinificazione
Viticulture at Tenuta Roccaleoni follows integrated crop-protection practices with low environmental impact. Both the Falanghina and Aglianico vineyards have a documented density of 3,000 vines per hectare and were established in multiple planting phases beginning in 1970.
Training is adapted to the variety and vineyard group. Falanghina is trained to simple Guyot with eight buds retained on each vine. Aglianico is trained using Guyot and spur-pruned cordon.
The harvest calendar reflects the different ripening cycles in inland Sannio. Falanghina is harvested during the second ten-day period of September, while Aglianico remains on the vine until the final ten-day period of October. The recorded wine yield for each variety is 6,500 litres per hectare.
Falanghina production
Falanghina is vinified as a white wine. The grapes undergo gentle pressing, followed by cold settling. Fermentation takes place in stainless-steel tanks at a controlled 18–20°C for approximately 20 days. The wine then remains in stainless steel for about three months.
Aglianico production
The Aglianico grapes are destemmed and crushed, after which the skins undergo cold maceration. Fermentation proceeds with the skins at 26°C for approximately 20 days. The wine is then drawn off and completes malolactic fermentation. Maturation combines stainless steel with a passage through traditional cask, followed by approximately three months in bottle.
Filosofia
Tenuta Roccaleoni represents inland Campania within a project built around three distinct wine territories. The guiding objective is to interpret each territory without standardisation, seeking wines with a recognisable identity, internal coherence, elegance and depth.
For the Sannio estate, that approach centres on the slow ripening of Falanghina and Aglianico in the inland hills. Tradition is paired with controlled technical work: established training systems and integrated vineyard protection are combined with cold settling or maceration, temperature-controlled fermentation, stainless steel and, for Aglianico, traditional cask maturation. The estate’s role is therefore territorial rather than stylistically uniform—expressing inland Sannio as a distinct part of the wider Campanian project.