For centuries, Grattamacco represented the greatest challenge of Bolgheri. Its white and rugged lands were not very fertile. The very name, «Macco», refers to the hard sandstone and limestone rocks that were discarded during the smelting of iron and which were already known to the Etruscans and Romans, who used them in building roads.
A land where one «scraped rocks and toiled», as it is situated along the border of the coastal plain and surrounded by dense forests. An agricultural “Wild West” in search for its El Dorado and for people capable of seeing beyond the rough territory.
Piermario Meletti Cavallari acquired the estate in 1977. A wine enthusiast and close friend of Veronelli, Meletti Cavallari revolutionized the estate. The orchards were uprooted in favor of vine rows, choosing grape varieties best suited for white clay soils. The selection included Vermentino, which was not previously found in the area, Sangiovese and Bordeaux varieties, which remarkably adapted to Grattamacco.
PIONEERS OF BOLGHERI ROSSO
Meletti Cavallari was the second entrepreneur to believe in Bolgheri's potential, after Marquis Incisa della Rocchetta.
Grattamacco was among the first to consider the Bolgheri hills for wine production, starting in 1982. The winery was the first to bottle a Bolgheri Rosso in 1994, thus becoming an ambassador of the DOC worldwide. In the same year, under the oak tree at Grattamacco, Piermario Meletti Cavallari, Michele Satta, Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, Piero and Lodovico Antinori took a historic photo that captured the history of Bolgheri and the birth of the denomination.
A NEW BEGINNING
Meletti Cavallari sold the company to Claudio Tipa in 2002. An entrepreneur and patron, Tipa continued the pioneering footsteps of Grattamacco
The production of red wines was intensified, in line with Grattamacco's dedication to Sangiovese. Vermentino, one of the first to be planted on Bolgheri’s white clay soils, became one of the winery’s distinctive labels.
In 2004, a careful zoning of the estate identified the site for planting Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc using the alberello method. It was the first time this training method had been adopted in the area, but certainly not the last. The results were so promising that regulations have now allowed its use. Grattamacco was among the first companies to push to the “heights” of Bolgheri by acquiring vineyards in the new frontier of Casavecchia, where vines grow in a portion of high hills surrounded by woods.
COLLEMASSARI
Claudio Tipa completed the viticultural renaissance commenced by Meletti Cavallari. He incorporated Grattamacco into the ColleMassari Wine Estates and played a crucial role in the internationalization of the labels produced here.
