Tenuta Castelbuono: Ziggurat Montefalco Rosso 2020

Fascinated by an ancient, almost mystical region like Umbria and by a wine of exceptional power and longevity like Sagrantino, the Lunelli family acquired the Tenuta Castelbuono and its 30 hectares of vineyards in the municipalities of Bevagna and Montefalco in 2001. The commitment initially focused on the vineyards, which have now been converted to organic farming, with new plantings and further development of the existing ones through a comprehensive clonal selection project. In 2003, the Montefalco Sagrantino saw the light of day, followed a year later by the Montefalco Rosso.

However, there was still a need for a new winery complex, and due to their long and close friendship with Arnaldo Pomodoro, one of the most important contemporary artists, the family asked him to design it. The master enthusiastically agreed, and after the first site visit, he already had the project in mind.

The “Carapace” – as Pomodoro wanted to call the winery – required about six years of work and was inaugurated in June 2012, opening to the public for visits and tastings. It is a unique work that challenges the boundaries between architecture and sculpture. It is the world’s first sculpture where people live and work, a unique creation in which art and nature, sculpture and wine engage in dialogue, emphasizing the uniqueness of both the container and the content. At first glance, it appears as a large copper-clad dome, cracked like the furrows of the surrounding land. A red arrow-shaped sculpture piercing the ground further highlights the artwork in the landscape. Entering the “Carapace” means engaging with a Pomodoro sculpture, as its artistic alphabet inside immediately announces. A winery by an artist for wines by artists.