Monte Melino, Perugia, Umbria, Italy
Wines by Danilo Marcucci
Varietals and key wines include; Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Grechetto, Malvasia, Colorino and Gamay de Trasimeno and Ciliegiolo
Conestabile Della Staffa is an historic Umbrian estate dates to the Middle Ages and whose combined Conestabile and Della Staffa lines were united by an arranged marriage in the 1700s. Once known for producing some of the region’s finest wines, the estate fell dormant in 1956 as vineyard labour declined, with grapes sold off for decades rather than vinified on site.
The revival began with Danilo Marcucci, a deeply influential figure in Italy’s natural wine movement who was raised in Umbria and shaped by mentors such as Vittorio Mattioli. Danilo’s wife, Alessandra Conestabile della Staffa is the heir to this noble estate and together with her husband, they revived winemaking on the family property in 2015 after more than sixty years of silence.
Today, the 12 hectare vineyard mostly made up of vines on their own rootstock with over 70 years of age are farmed organically. In the cellar, Danilo works with a light touch. Fermentations are spontaneous with indigenous yeasts; there is no temperature control and no additions. Wines are aged in a mix of cement, stainless steel, fibreglass and old oak, some vessels over a century old. All wines are bottled without fining or filtration.
Danilo has played a key role in shaping the modern Umbrian wine scene, encouraging a shift toward thoughtful, minimal intervention winemaking across the region. His wines are vibrant, textural and deeply connected to place.
As he puts it simply: “No chemistry in the vineyard, no technology in the cellar, natural wine.”
