Capezzana: Producer profile & tasting back 90 years

By uncorking a bottle of 1930 Villa Capezzana, the Contini Bonacossi family reminded us just how deep the history of winemaking is in Carmignano. On 18 September the estate celebrated 90 years of winemaking with a tasting of 12 exceptional vintages.

There are few wineries in Italy, much less in the world, that can claim a history as deep as Capezzana’s. The estate’s cellars unveil old wines that are much more than simple marketing ploys or bottles destined for collectors of old labels: Capezzana has continuously turned out great, sound wines, perfect to drink even with decades of age…and not only for oxidative wine lovers!

Carmignano is an obscure appellation. At the crossroads of the Tuscan provinces of Florence, Prato and Pistoia, on the slopes of Montalbano, evidence of vines here imported from France dates back to the 14th century. Called at the time ‘uva francesca’, what was most likely Cabernet Franc or Carmenere arrived in Carmignano by way of Caterina de’Medici. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Cabernet Sauvignon was commonly planted next to Sangiovese and Canaiolo and thus the Carmignano appellation has always included international grape varieties, making it a historic precursor to the widely known super-tuscan category.

Carmignano’s unique, consistent ability to turn out long-haul wines is credited to this blend. Close to Capezzana there are other great producers such as Piaggia, Fattoria Ambra and the biodynamic Fattoria di Bacchereto. Yet despite such an impressive history and quality producers, Carmignano often remains out of the public eye. In my opinion, this is because the entire appellation accounts for only 200 hectares of vineyards; too small to be critically assessed in the market and too scarce to arouse the interests of wine hunters.

‘Peculiar’ climate

Furthermore, the climate is so peculiar that climatologists are not able to agree on a solid profile. Montalbano straddles the Tuscan coast’s Mediterranean climate and the continental climate of Chianti. Over the last two months of the growing season (September–October) it is not unusual to have more rain than average and, unfortunately, storms or hail are also common. Vineyard altitude, exposure and soils are therefore more crucial than elsewhere. Soil composition is, in fact, another firm determinant of these multilayered wines. ‘We are in a chaotic patchwork of soils. We have vineyards on Galestro schist, Alberese chalk, but also pebbles and green clay. So, although it can be very challenging to work with such a wide range, today we can say that this is one of the secrets of our complexity,’ said Filippo Contini Bonacossi, when presenting the tasting.

The estate spans over 650 hectares of which 78ha are planted to vineyards and 140ha to olive trees which turn out delicious, highly sought-after olive oil each year. The age of the vines at Capezzana ranges from just a few years for the newest plantings up to 55 years in the case of the oldest. Since 2016, Capezzana has been certified organic; an approach which, considering the size of the property, is an important and crucial matter for the environment in the region at large. ‘For us, it guarantees that there is no contamination around the vineyards,’ says the family. Vittorio Contini Bonacossi, who passed away two years ago, was a leading player in establishing an organic district in the Montalbano region. Aside from improving the vineyards, his goal was to preserve the biodiversity of these hills, thus enhancing the complexity of the wine.

Villa Capezzana

Villa Capezzana, the historic label of the estate bottled since 1925, is a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Up until 1995, Canaiolo was also included in the blend. ‘Canaiolo brought aromas to the blend, softening the firm acidity of the Sangiovese,’ notes Bonacossi. Not surprisingly, it was here at Capezzana that Canaiolo ‘graspo rosso’ – a special clone of this indigenous grape – was identified and selected. Despite the elegant nuance of Canaiolo, Bonacossi notes that it is not included anymore in Capezzana’s top wine, ‘because it lacks acidic structure and is sensitive to disease in the vineyards’.

In the winery, only indigenous yeasts are employed. Nevertheless, the fermentation takes place in just seven days followed by another two weeks of maceration. Stylistically, Capezzana has come quite far from the muscular wines of the 1990s such as the 1998, with dry extracts up to 33.29g/L. The 1998 vintage was a turning point – in that year, the estate introduced oak barriques and tonneaux after decades of the steadfast use of large oak vessels. Recent years have seen a return to the classic Capezzana style emblazoned with a new, more balanced style of extraction, despite global warming. The traditional botti were reintroduced in 2015 and are still used today.

Since 2006, the estate has held back 3,000 bottles every year in their cellars in order to preserve Capezzana’s unmatched depth of history. Often celebrated for their highly lauded Vin Santo, the estate showed a truly impressive lineup of Villa Capezzana Carmignano in September, most notably the complex, well-intact 1930, the utterly elegant 1981 and the refined 2010 and 2016.

Capezzana: Tasting wines back to 1930

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