Campania’s Tenute Capaldo Acquires Galardi

Tenute Capaldo, the family group that owns Feudi di San Gregorio, has acquired the Galardi estate in northern Campania.

Founded in 1991, Galardi farms 25 acres on the western slope of Roccamonfina, where aglianico and piedirosso grow in volcanic soils, the climate influenced by breezes from the Gulf of Gaeta. Galardi produced only one wine, Terra di Lavoro, until 2017, when they decided to make Terra di Rosso, a pure piedirosso that offers immediate appeal while tightening the selection for Terra di Lavoro.

Antonio Capaldo, president of Tenute Capaldo, had been in discussions with the Galardi team for the past year. Feudi di San Gregorio, Tenute Capaldo’s primary property, founded in 1986, has grown to encompass 740 vineyard acres farmed in 800 separate parcels across Irpinia, in central Campania.

A view of the Gulf of Gaeta from the Galardi estate (Photo courtesy of Tenute Capaldo)

In an emailed response, Capaldo pointed out some differences in terroir between his Irpinia estate and that of Galardi, some 75 miles to the north: “In the Taurasi area, the lowest of the appellation at around 400 meters (1,312 feet), vines grow on sandy soils made of volcanic ash. But the area most interesting is the highest part of the appellation (Castelfranci, Paternopoli, Baiano) where soils are mostly limestone… In both those areas, within the Taurasi DOCG appellation, wines show lower minerality and sapidity than the Roccamonfina terroir and also a less intense balsamic profile. The fruit on the other hand is very rich in primary flavors and the wines are more powerful…”

Allegra Selvaggio, daughter of two of Galardi’s co-founders, confirmed via email that the estate will remain fully autonomous under her direction, with the continued involvement of Riccardo Cotarella, the consulting enologist who has been with Galardi from the start.

In addition to Feudi di San Gregorio and now Galardi, Tenute Capaldo also owns Basilisco in Basilicata and Campo alle Comete in Bolgheri.