Fattoria Le Pupille winery
Fattoria Le Pupille is a leading wine estate in the Maremma region of coastal Tuscany. It is best known for its Saffredi wine, a Toscana IGT blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot that has come to be known as the Lafite of Tuscany. Owner Elisabetta Geppetti is known as the Lady of Morellino and the Ambassador of Maremma and, in 1992, was the first woman to become president of an Italian Consorzio. The estate has 75 hectares of vineyards in total, the core of which are located around the village of Peretta. These vineyard holdings include the 25ha of the original Pupille vineyard and the 5-ha plot responsible for Saffredi. Le Pupille also has a 20-ha plot near Magliano, and the winery itself is located near Grosseto. This is a modern facility located within the traditionally-styled building that features on the label. For many years there was no vineyard around but cork oaks, wheat, Mediterranean scrub, the most classic of the Maremma landscapes. At that time there was no recognized dignity of Maremma as a territory with great viticultural potential and Morellino di Scansano was a pleasant wine that certainly did not aspire to compare with the great Italian appellations. But then at Le Pupille, everything changed thanks to the enthusiasm and intuition of what was then a very young student, Elisabetta Geppetti, who had sensed great productive potential in that beloved countryside, where she spent the summer holidays in her family home.