Deep garnet color; blackberry, black cherry, plum, raspberry, tobacco, oak, leather, smoke, earth, dark chocolate on the nose and palate.
Dry; significant, gripppy tannins, decanting strongly recommended. Good balancing acidity. Medium-plus body. Broad and powerful, as you anticipate from a Super Tuscan, especially one where cabernet sauvignon complements the sangiovese. 14% ABV
This is the flagship label of the Tenuta di Capezzana estate. It also comes in a riserva for more power, elegance, and price. Blend of 80% sangiovese, 20% cabernet sauvignon from vines 20-40 years old. The wine is fermented with native yeast, then experiences 13 days of maceration, followed by malolactic fermentation in French tonneaux. Aged one year; 60% in second, third, and fourth-use French oak tonneaux, 10% in new French oak tonneaux, 30% in five-to-30-year old untoasted Allier or Slavonian 634-gallon barrels.
The winery is located 12 miles northwest of Florence. The estate traces origins to vine and olive growing since 804 AD. Carmignano is one of the first four appellations recognized by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1716, making it one of the first protected wine-producing regions in Italy. Carmignano exists in a microclimate northwest of Florence surrounded by the Apennine Mountains and Mount Albano and is the smallest DOCG at just under 300 acres.
The current operation began in 1922 when Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi and family returned from living in Spain to purchase an estate from widowed Sara de Rothschild, alongside two neighboring farms known as “The Pogetto” and “Trefiano”. The estate was divided into three parts. The first vintage the bottling of Villa di Capezzano was in 1925. In 1945 Ugo, Alessandro’s grandson, received a degree in agriculture and devoted himself to increasing the quality of the tenuta’s (estate’s) wine. Today, the winery is run by the fifth generation of the Contini Bonacossi family.
Tenuta di Capezzana Villa di Capezzana Carmignano DOCG 2017 packs power and structure in a sangiovese-cab Super Tuscan. Decant, please. Assertive black fruits, good balancing acidity. Not a smooth easy drinker—you do not open a Super Tuscan for those qualities—but tasty and certainly built for food pairing. Tasted at six years old, but easily could have been held for many more years. Pair with hearty beef dishes; lamb; veal; barbecued chicken, chicken stew; wild game, especially boar; meats with heavy sauces, especially tomato sauces; meat-lover pizza and other rich Italian fare; antipasti/charcuterie—cured meats, olives, bruschetta, cheese. Cheese—pecorino is classic (it is signature cheese from Tuscany), parmigiano-reggiano, grana padano, asiago, provolone, fontina, sharp cheddar, colby. $30-33
Tenuta di Capezzana website, fascinating 360 elements and videos, well worth visit
