Mustilli Piedirosso Artus Sannio Sant’Agata dei Goti

There’s a strange phenomenon that you’ll recognise among many of the Italian wine companies that have formed within the last century or so. Despite their fairly recent beginnings, especially when compared to the companies that have made wine for centuries throughout the country, many of the more recent companies have histories that date back far beyond their dates of formation.

These histories vary. Some companies may have formed off the back of an older company that helped to inform the more recent incarnation’s methods. Some producers may have had family members who’ve worked in the wine industry over the centuries, and the company itself is the culmination of generation’s worth of work, in which the family finds its own voice in the Italian wine industry.

The common thread is that many newer companies have far deeper histories in the Italian wine industry than you may realise.

Such is the case with Mustilli. Based in the Sant’Agata dei Goti, the company only dates back less than 50 years. But the story of how it came to be, and the many influences that led to its creation, go back for centuries. This week, we’re going to take an in-depth look at the company, and the history that many people may not realise that it has. Of course, there’ll be a wine review for you to enjoy at the end.

The History

Officially, the Mustilli story starts in 1970. That’s the year in which the company itself was founded and started trading under the name that we know today. However, Mustilli’s website reveals that the story stretches back much further than that. In fact, the family has been part of the Italian wine industry for almost as long as much more prominent families, such as the Antinori family.

For over 500 years, the family has called the Sant’Agata dei Goti region its home. They arrived in the early 1500s from a small town called Ravello, and immediately set about building a reputation for themselves. They created a new working ground in a small hamlet located in Sardinia, and straight away began establishing a name in the wine industry. In fact, wine has been intertwined with the Mustilli families name for as long as records exist, even if it wasn’t always the dominant pursuit for the family.

Family documentation maintains records of the many wineries that the family has built into its spacious palace over the years, many of which have been used over the centuries to age the wines that the family produced. Even back then, the family focused on renewing the land and protecting it, ensuring that it could be used for generations to come to produce high-quality wines.

Unfortunately, the passage of time had its effects on the family, and they eventually became less prominent in the Italian wine industry as time wore on. Though still active within wine, the family pursued other business interests, some might say to the detriment of the wines they created.

By the 1960s, the family was barely involved in Italian wine at all. That’s when Leonardo Mustilli and his wife Marili made the decision to bring wine back into focus. In 1970, they took up the mantle of wine cultivation that the family had left behind, replanting the family vineyards that had lain barren for so many years.

Their focus lay on the grapes that were native to the Sant’Agata dei Goti region. Instead of growing the international grapes that would allow them to sell poor wines in bulk, the family replanted native grapes, such as Greco, Piedirosso, and Falanghina. Thus started the journey into the Italian wine industry that the family still undertakes to this day.

The accolades came thick and fast. Their first breakout achievement came in 1979, with the Falanghina Mustilli, which was the first wine of its type to be vinified and bottled in complete purity. With this, the family was able to achieve the potential of the local grapes that so many had missed out on before, and Mustilli instantly became a company to watch in wine circles.

For the next two decades, the company kept producing great wines, using native grapes rather than trying to create wines that were unsuited to their region. Until 2001, the family continued their operations in the grand Palazzo Mustilli that they had called home for so many centuries. However, during the last 16 years the family has moved their operation to a new facility, which features all of the modern equipment that a wine company needs to succeed in the current age.

Today, Leonardo and Marili’s children, Anna and Paola, work full time for the company, with the former handling the vineyards and cellar while the latter handles the company’s business dealings. They’ve also embraced the new wave of wine tourism, welcoming families into their home with beautiful live music and stunning cuisine.

All told, this is a tale of a family that practically rediscovered itself after many years away from the industry. Today, Mustilli is stronger than ever before, and we believe we’ll see many more great wines over the years from the family.

With that said, let’s now take a look at one of the best vintages to emerge from the company in the last few years.

Mustilli Piedirosso Artus Sannio Sant’Agata dei Goti 2015

It should be no surprise that a family that is so in tune with the Sant’Agata dei Goti region has also produced one of the best wines that carries the region’s name.

This beautiful Italian red wine has a stunning ruby colouring, with just the occasional shimmer of violet to catch your eye and entrance you.

The bouquet features a rich and fruity texture. You’ll spot notes of several red fruits and plums, with a slightly floral quality that suggests the wine has a freshness that you may not have expected. There are also some light herb notes, including thyme, lavender, and sage.

To the taste, the wine offers gentle tannins and a softness. Nevertheless, it’s remarkably well-balanced, with the notes of dried fruit that come with ageing offering an intensity that you may not expect.