From the Sorrento Peninsula, the La Mura family looks out across the Bay of Naples toward Mount Vesuvius, and it is the volcano's soils that shape their wines.
Backstory
Poggio delle Baccanti is a three-generation family operation based at Sant'Antonio Abate, in the province of Naples. The winemaking tradition was founded in the 1950s and is carried on today by brothers Raffaele and Paolo La Mura together with their cousins Giovanni and Raffaele. They began with a clear focus on the wines most specific to this corner of Campania before widening the range.
The Region
This stretch of Campania lies in the shadow of Vesuvius, where soils of volcanic tuff, basalt, and mineral-rich ash lend wines a smoky, earthy character and a saline depth that is hard to find on non-volcanic ground. The maritime setting on the Sorrento Peninsula adds freshness and a salt-tinged lift.
Vineyards & Farming
The family farms organically on the volcanic foothills around the bay. The vineyards are planted to the indigenous grapes of Campania, grown for purity of fruit and a clear sense of place rather than for power. The certified-organic fruit underpins the whole range.
Winemaking
The approach is low intervention. Fermentations run spontaneously on native yeasts, and the wines are made without added sulfites. The Lacryma Christi Bianco, for example, ferments in stainless steel and then ages in old acacia barrels before being bottled unfiltered, a gentle path that keeps the volcanic minerality intact.
The Wines
The heart of the range is the red and white Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio. The white blends Caprettone with Catalanesca and Falanghina; the red is built on Piedirosso. Around them sit varietal bottlings of Greco, Fiano, Falanghina, Aglianico, and Primitivo, plus the lightly sparkling Gragnano Rosso Frizzante, a local classic.
