WINEMAKER : ETTORE ARTURO RIZZI FATTORIA LE PUPILLE

WINEMAKER : ETTORE ARTURO RIZZI FATTORIA LE PUPILLE
WEDNESDAY OCT 21 at 7PM

3 COURSE DINNER + WINES

Ettore Arturo Rizzi is the young winemaker at Fattoria Le Pupille, a well-known wine estate in the Maremma region of southern Tuscany, near Grosseto. He's the son of Elisabetta Geppetti, the estate's founder and a celebrated figure in Italian wine known as "the Lady of Morellino" for putting the Morellino di Scansano DOCG appellation on the map.

Ettore studied in Pisa and did early internships in Piedmont, later returning to Le Pupille in 2019 to work a harvest alongside noted consulting winemaker Luca D'Attoma. He has said his career as a vintner officially began with that 2019 vintage, which was especially meaningful to him personally. He was only 22 years old when he made the 2019 Saffredi, the estate's flagship wine, and that debut vintage was a strong one — the Toscana Saffredi 2019 landed the No. 8 spot on Wine Spectator's Top 100 list in 2022. The blend for that vintage was roughly 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot.

Today Ettore is deeply involved in production, serving as winemaker and oenologist alongside Andrea Lupi, and he's one of three owners of the estate, together with his mother Elisabetta Geppetti and his sister Clara Gentili. The siblings split responsibilities somewhat: Clara oversees the Le Pupille label while Ettore oversees the Piemme label.

As for the estate itself, Fattoria Le Pupille was founded in 1978 and produces around 450,000 bottles a year from about 85 hectares of vineyard, farmed with a sustainable approach. It's best known for its everyday Morellino di Scansano wines at the entry level, its ambitious Super Tuscan Bordeaux-blend Saffredi at the top, and a white blend called Poggio Argentato in between.