The winery is located in the municipality of Monterado (province of Ancona) in the centre of the "Terre di Frattula" on the right bank of the Cesano Valley in the Italian region of Marche. It was founded in 2001 by Otto Carlo Frueh and Maria Magdalena Schlegel. The couple had previously worked in the electrical industry and in gastronomy (pizza chain). At the time, cereals were grown on the seven-hectare Azienda La Maddalena, so they had to start from scratch. Vineyards and olive groves were planted, the old country house was rebuilt and a brand new cantina (winery) with the most modern technical infrastructure was built. In 2005, the first wine was marketed. The vineyards cover four hectares. Only the estate's own grapes are processed, i.e. the red wine varieties Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as the white wine variety Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc).
The vineyards are cultivated in an environmentally friendly way according to the guidelines of integrated viticulture. This includes fertilisation with mineral and natural substances without synthetic additives. In summer, the vines are heavily thinned out to improve their quality. The grapes are harvested in single layer cassettes. Afterwards, a rigorous selection is carried out with the aim of physiologically ripe and healthy grapes. Fermentation is started with pure yeasts. Tartaric precipitation forced by cooling is dispensed with. Depending on the type of wine, ageing takes place in stainless steel tanks, in large oak barrels (30 hl or 15 hl) or in barriques. The premium wines include the IGT Carletto (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) aged for 18 months in barriques, the IGT Matto Brut Spumante (aged for 14 months on its lees) and the IGT Flirt (white Sangiovese). Every year, 13,000 bottles are produced from 17,000 vines (0.8 bottles per vine).
