Il Caggio’s Ipsus: A Tuscan wine legend in the making

For Giovanni Mazzei, winemaking and Sangiovese is in his blood. The eldest son of Filippo Mazzei, CEO of Marchesi Mazzei wines, his family has owned Castello Fonterutoli in the heart of Chianti Classico for 600 years. The first known reference to Chianti as a wine-producing region – dated 16 December 1398 – was found in written correspondence of an ancestor, Ser Lapo Mazzei.

The Il Caggio estate came into the family’s hands in 2006 with the purchase of a neighbour’s property, and that’s where the Ipsus journey began. As Giovanni explained during the masterclass, ‘they never really made wine on the property, they just sold the grapes, so we had a lot to learn’.

After a few years, he found a place where Sangiovese tasted different, ‘full of perfume’. They separated these vines from the rest, folding most of the purchased vineyards into the family’s holding, and created the Il Caggio estate.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for Ipsus

Located in the hamlet of Castellina in Chianti, the property encompasses 6.5 hectares, most of which was planted in the 1990s (a small portion was regrafted in 2008). The combination of altitude (350m), southeast-west exposure, and alberese and clay soils seemed to be the ideal spot for Sangiovese.

Under the watchful eye of Gionata Pulignani (technical director of the family’s wineries), six individual plots are separated into 16-18 microvinifications, with fermentation taking place in a combination of stainless steel and large oak casks, with around 20 days of maceration.

Initially, maturation took place in all new 500-litre French oak casks for 24 months, but that has been adjusted to a mix of 500-litre and 1,500-litre barrels and less new oak. The wine finishes with eight months in cement before bottling.

The directive in the winery is to ‘intervene as little as possible and let the grapes speak for themselves,’ according to Giovanni. Work in the vineyard is also minimised, to allow the vines to attain equilibrium: ‘balance is key in the vineyard and in those who live and work in it.’

The quality of the 2015 vintage convinced Giovanni to finally release a wine from the estate, and thus Ipsus made its debut. This was followed by 2016, 2018, and the recently released 2019. Giovanni explained that although a wine was made in 2017, the decision was made not to release it. ‘The vintage was difficult, and we did not make much wine, so we will keep the vintage as a matter of record.’

Ipsus’ fermentation and maturation are tailored to each vintage – there is no formula. However, Giovanni has a clear vision of what the wine should express: ‘I want Ipsus to be electric,’ he said, ‘and I want the winemaking to show that.’

So, for the 2018 vintage, where they had previously finished the wine in cement before bottling, they introduced a ceramic vessel to preserve more primary fruit.

In 2019 they went even further, maturing 10% of the wine in ceramic rather than in oak. Giovanni admits that decisions regarding maturation are the most difficult, but from the overwhelmingly positive reaction to Ipsus 2019, it seems that the team at Il Caggio has hit upon a winning formula.

Ipsus is classified as Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG, the highest quality level in Chianti Classico. To qualify as a Gran Selezione, the grapes must be from a single estate and the wine must be aged for 30 months before release.

Although the wine is a single estate, in essence Ipsus is a monopole. ‘Ipsus is about the place, hence the idea of a cru and its name, Ipsus, the Latin term for “itself”,’ Giovanni said.

Passionate about the estate, Giovanni and his family live on the property. He even admitted that he occasionally sneaks into the winery during the night to taste from the barrels! Around 4,500 bottles are produced annually, with hopes to increase to 6,000 bottles – but not beyond that, despite the fact that there is plenty of land available for future planting.

When asked if Il Caggio would ever produce a basic Chianti Classico, as well as – or instead of – Ipsus, Giovanni smiled and said he didn’t think so: ‘My great-aunt once told me, when faced with two roads or paths, choose the most difficult – that is what I have chosen to do.’

Tasting Ipsus at the Decanter Italy Experience masterclass:

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