Capezzana, Vin Santo di Carmignano

The Capezzana estate, in the Carmignano zone to the west of Florence, is steeped in history. Archives in Florence document wine production on the estate as early as 804 AD and the first efforts to delineate Carmignano as an area of superior wine production date back to a 1716 edict signed by Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici.

The estate comprises 80 hectares of vineyard and 30,000 olive trees, all farmed organically with a particular focus on soil health and protecting biodiversity. The wines have been certified organic since the 2015 vintage. Carmignano is the only Tuscan denomination to require the inclusion of Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Cabernet Franc in the blend, a tradition believed to date back to the 16th century and the de’ Medici ties with France. The Capezzana Cabernet vineyards were grafted with cuttings from Château Lafite in the 1970s.

The Contini Bonacossi family have owned the estate since the 1920s and fourth-generation siblings Beatrice, Filippo and Benedetta and fifth-generation Ettore, Gaddo and Serena, are the current custodians. The late Franco Bernabei oversaw a transition to additional focus and personality in the wines as consultant winemaker. His legacy is continued by Benedetta who is at the winemaking helm, with support from respected consultant winemaker Emiliano Falsini.

Capezzana’s reds display supple and silky tannins combined with luminous fruit. The ‘Barco Reale’ blends Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Canaiolo from the estate’s younger vines. It is rounded and ripe with a great balance between fruit and structure. The ‘Villa di Capezzana’ Carmignano, a blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 12 months in French oak, is beautifully intense and elegant. ‘Ghiaie della Furba’ is a Bordeaux-inspired blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah from a plot planted on gravelly soils (Ghiaie) near the Furba stream that runs through the estate. Aged for 18 months in French oak barriques, it has wonderful depth of flavour and marries crunchy red berry fruit with a subtle spiciness. The ‘Ugo Contini Bonacossi’ pays homage to the family’s late patriarch who was a great advocate and ambassador of the Carmignano denomination. 100% Sangiovese from the clay-schist and limestone soils of the Viticciana vineyard, it is a wine defined by a lovely freshness.

A proportion of the Trebbiano is barrel fermented, giving lovely texture to the palate and subtle notes of almond and vanilla alongside the vibrant stone fruit. The Vin Santo is made from Trebbiano and San Colombano grapes raisined on cane mats until February following the harvest and then slowly fermented and aged for seven years in small chestnut and cherry casks known as ‘caratelli’. It is a thing of beauty, perfectly balancing sumptuous sweetness with a lifted acidity.