Baudains: What links the French president with a wine estate in Veneto?

The story goes that, in the early 1960s, Charles de Gaulle, then president of France, was served a wine at an official dinner at the Gritti Palace in Venice which greatly impressed him. Convinced it was a Bordeaux, he asked the sommelier the name of the Chateau he was drinking, only to be informed that the wine he was enjoying so much was produced in Veneto, 50 kilometres from Venice.

When the producer, Count Piero Loredan, was informed of the General’s appreciation, he was understandably gratified and apparently exclaimed, ‘questo è un vino per capi di stato’ (‘this is a wine for heads of state’).

The name Capo di Stato stuck, and has been used ever since for Loredan Gasparini’s top Riserva, a case of which is sent to every new president of France.

Scroll down for notes on Capo di Stato from 1995-2021

Count Piero Loredan was a direct descendent of the Doge Leonardo Loredan (1436-1521), whose portrait by Giovanni Bellini hangs in the National Gallery in London. He was by all accounts a colourful and quixotic character, with a passion for falconry and wine.

He planted his first vineyard, which he called the ‘Vigna delle 100 Piante’, in 1946 with cuttings collected during his travels in Bordeaux, and subsequently began a production of what was one of the Veneto’s very first Cabernet/Merlot blends.

The Riserva Capo di Stato was released for the first time in 1964 and achieved a certain notoriety, not least through its presence at official receptions at the Loredan Gasparini residence, the magnificent neoclassical Villa Spineda. Following a series of vicissitudes, in 1973 Piero Loredan found himself obliged to sell the 30ha estate, which was purchased by a winemaker with a small property nearby, Giancarlo Palla.

Palla was joined in the late 1990s by his son Lorenzo, who subsequently took over the management of the estate and continues to run it today.

The setting

The main body of the estate is located in a tiny rural area with the wonderfully polyphonic name of Venegazzù, at the foot of the Montello, a long, low hill which rises from the plain in the shape of a turtle shell, to the south of the river Piave. Increasingly known today for its Prosecco Superiore, historically the ferrous clay soils of the Montello – and Venegazzù in particular – were renowned for the tangy intensity of their red wines.

It was this which prompted Piero Loredan to include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec in the Vigna delle 100 Piante, the two-hectare plot which is still the main source of the Capo di Stato.

The vines were planted on the high-trained and widely-spaced Bellussi system, a pruning method originally designed for the vigorous local Raboso variety and which has now almost completely disappeared.

For guidance on managing the anachronistic system, Lorenzo Palla called on now-renowned consultants Simonit & Sirch, who were at the beginning of their esteemed careers as master pruners. Their impact can be seen in the longevity of the vineyard.

Around 50% of the vines originate from the post-war period. When replacement is required, it is done by massal selection on the same rootstock used in the 1940s to maintain the unique biodiversity of the vineyard.

Yields in the Vigna delle 100 Piante are marginally higher than those of a modern guyot-trained vineyard, but the quality of the fruit is excellent and the Bellussi system does not suffer, but rather is advantaged by, the increasingly high temperatures of a changing climate.

The blend

Capo di Stato is made from a cuvée of approximately 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, supplemented by Merlot and limited amounts of Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Count Piero’s wines were aged in traditional large barrels, which the Palla family replaced with French oak. Annual production is around 20,000 bottles.

Originally released under the IGT Colli Trevigiani label, Capo di Stato now qualifies as Montello Asolo Rosso Venegazzù Superiore – Veneggazù being the officially recognised sub-zone of the denomination (and a monopole of Loredan Gasparini).

The romantic labels created in lithograph in 1967 by the Venetian artist Tono Zancanaro exist in two versions: the standard label shows a Bacchus figure facing left. A second version, which is only used in exceptional vintages and has become a collectors’ item, shows a female figure facing in the opposite direction.

The tasting

I had a rare opportunity to taste 20 vintages of Capo di Stato at the estate in January, and it was one of those experiences which leaves a lasting impression. The combination of the strong terroir, old vines and unique clones, not to mention the masterful winemaking of the long serving chef de cave Mauro Rasera, make for a wine with enormous, vibrant personality.

There are nuances in the way it responds to the vintage. In cooler years, wild berry and floral aromas come to the fore; in warmer ones, ripe red fruit and spices.

But the common denominators remain: great aromatic complexity, intensity in the mouth, where the acidity of the reds of the Veneto sets the tone, a long supple progression, and an underlying, tangy, mineral vein which is the signature of the red ferrous soils.

It is hard to imagine the wine that General de Gaulle tasted at the Gritti Palace all those years ago, but if he were alive today, I have no doubt he would be blown away by Capo di Stato, just as he was before.

Capo di Stato highlights: 1995 to 2021

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