History
Investment in Montefalco
Còlpetrone’s development began at the end of the 1980s, when the estate committed itself to the territory and wines of Montefalco at a time when relatively few producers had recognised their potential. The project concentrated particularly on Sagrantino and sought to establish higher quality standards for the variety.
Foundation and the first wines
Còlpetrone was founded in 1995. Its first vintages of Sagrantino and Montefalco Rosso were made in an old farmhouse a few kilometres from the present headquarters. This original site is now known as Còlpetrone vecchia, or Old Còlpetrone.
Recognition for the early Sagrantino harvests encouraged the ownership to increase its investment. The vineyard holding grew through successive acquisitions in both Gualdo Cattaneo and Montefalco, eventually making Còlpetrone the largest private estate producing Sagrantino.
The new winery
A new winery was inaugurated in 2005. Designed to fit into its rural setting, the building resembles an old Umbrian farmhouse, while its vinification and maturation areas are embedded in the hillside. This arrangement helps maintain stable temperature and humidity and reduces the structure’s visual and environmental impact. The cellar was equipped with temperature regulation, underfloor heating, stainless-steel tanks and French-oak barrels.
Deeper parcel selection
As knowledge of Sagrantino and the estate’s vineyards developed, the winemaking team began identifying plots distinguished by their exposure, soil and other pedoclimatic characteristics. This work included a parcel at San Marco, one of Montefalco’s historic hills and a place associated with the variety’s origins. A separate vinification of fruit from this site inspired Ò di Còlpetrone.
New identities and selections
In 2021, the estate gave its Montefalco Sagrantino from the 2013 vintage the name Memoira. The change created a new identity for Còlpetrone’s first Sagrantino without changing the underlying wine. The label was also redesigned with gold tones while retaining its black border. The name combines associations with the Italian memoria, French mémoire and Greek Moira, linking memory, personal experience and destiny.
In 2022, Còlpetrone released the first Ò di Còlpetrone, from the 2016 vintage. The wine originated in the separately vinified San Marco parcel. Its name records the winemaking team’s spontaneous exclamation of surprise at the first tasting; its gold-toned presentation was created to reinforce the link between that reaction, the estate and the place of origin.
Present scale
Còlpetrone now has 63 ha of vineyards. Of these, 35 ha are assigned to four expressions of Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG: Memoira, Sacer, Ò di Còlpetrone and Montefalco Sagrantino Passito. The estate also makes Montefalco Rosso DOC, Saccr Umbria Rosso IGT and Grechetto Umbria IGT.
Terroir
Còlpetrone lies among the hills of Gualdo Cattaneo in the province of Perugia. From the estate, the landscape opens across the Umbrian valley towards Montefalco, Spoleto, Foligno and Assisi. The vineyards occupy gently undulating countryside within the restricted Montefalco production area.
The estate’s vineyard soils are described as clay-limestone, while pronounced differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures influence ripening. The importance of local variation is reflected in the selection of plots by exposure, soil type and broader pedoclimatic characteristics.
San Marco is singled out as one of Montefalco’s historic hills. A particularly suitable Sagrantino parcel there is associated with the variety’s historic cradle and forms the basis of Ò di Còlpetrone. The estate’s production is divided between holdings in the municipalities of Gualdo Cattaneo and Montefalco.
Winemaking
Còlpetrone’s vineyard work is organised around the differing behaviour of its varieties and parcels. Plot selection for Sagrantino considers exposure, soil type, pedoclimatic conditions and the intrinsic quality of the grapes. This work led to the separate identification of the San Marco parcel and also governs the choice of fruit for Sacer.
Manual harvesting is specifically documented for Grechetto, Sacer and Montefalco Sagrantino Passito. Sacer fruit is collected in boxes from selected plots. Grapes destined for the passito are harvested by hand before drying on racks under controlled temperature and humidity. For Grechetto, the estate chooses relatively early picking dates to retain acidity and freshness.
The estate’s environmental objectives include reducing water use, monitoring wastewater quality, managing waste, lowering carbon-equivalent emissions, increasing renewable-energy use and applying sustainability principles to agricultural activity. Carbon- and water-footprint measurements are used within the wider company to establish annual targets. Equalitas certification had not yet been extended to Còlpetrone in July 2025, although its future inclusion was planned.
Còlpetrone is included in the group’s current SA8000:2014 certification, covering social accountability and labour conditions, and in the corporate policy applying ISO 9001 quality-management requirements to production and bottling operations.
Winery design and equipment
The vinification and maturation areas are built into the hillside, helping maintain constant temperature and humidity while limiting the building’s impact on the landscape. The production facilities include temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, French-oak barrels, a temperature-regulation system and underfloor heating. The wine shop occupies a level above the barrel room.
Red-wine methods
Red-wine production employs controlled-temperature fermentation and maceration. Depending on the lot, extraction is managed through daily pump-overs and délestage. The estate follows polyphenolic development and determines racking when the desired extraction has been reached. Maturation may then continue in stainless steel, oak and bottle according to the intended expression.
The Sagrantino programme uses both stainless steel and oak. Memoira and Ò di Còlpetrone include 12 months in oak followed by extended maturation in steel and bottle. Sacer receives weekly bâtonnage during its first six months in oak, a further six months in wood, and exceptionally long maturation in steel and bottle, never less than 12 years. These methods are presented as ways of developing distinct vineyard selections rather than imposing a uniform cellar style.
White and passito methods
Grechetto and Chardonnay are harvested manually, softly pressed at no more than 0.2 bar, cold settled and fermented at 12–15°C. The wine matures for three months with weekly bâtonnage while avoiding oak so that the original fruit character is retained.
For Montefalco Sagrantino Passito, hand-picked grapes are dried on racks in controlled temperature and humidity until the intended concentration is achieved. Fermentation and maceration take place at 24–28°C, followed by the required maturation period.
Philosophy
Còlpetrone’s guiding idea is to deepen knowledge of Sagrantino through the specific places in which it grows. The estate’s selections are not framed simply as different cellar recipes: Memoira, Sacer and Ò di Còlpetrone are intended to reveal distinctions created by site, exposure, soil and the behaviour of the grape itself.
The creation of Ò di Còlpetrone illustrates this principle. The San Marco parcel was vinified separately, but its identity was attributed to the intrinsic characteristics of Sagrantino in that place rather than to a fundamentally different production technique. The estate presents continued study and the willingness to be surprised as essential parts of its work with the variety.
The winery combines this parcel-focused approach with modern technical control. Temperature-regulated tanks, French oak, underfloor heating and a hillside-integrated production area are used to support consistency and careful maturation while respecting the rural setting.
Sustainability is defined in measurable environmental, economic and social terms. The wider operating policy calls for efficient use of water, energy and materials; renewable energy; wastewater and waste management; emissions reduction; protection of workers’ rights; supplier engagement; food safety; and continuous improvement. Còlpetrone’s future inclusion in Equalitas certification was planned as part of this programme.