Capezzana, situated in the Carmignano zone to the west of Florence, is owned and run by the Contini Bonacossi family, the latest in a long line of owners. In fact, in the archives in Florence, they discovered a contract for the rent of vines and olive groves at Capezzana signed in 804 AD.

Today, the responsibility for ensuring the continuation of such longevity lies with the fourth generation of the Contini Bonacossi family, with Beatrice looking after all marketing and communication aspects and her sister Benedetta in charge of winemaking. Franco Bernabei is their consultant winemaker, and his contribution and presence has given the wines additional focus and personality.

The estate has 80 hectares of vineyard and 30,000 olive trees, all of which are farmed organically (the wines are certified organic from the 2015 vintage onwards). The reds all display supple and silky tannins combined with luminous fruit: the ‘Barco Reale’ is rounded and ripe with a great balance between fruit and structure. The ‘Villa di Capezzana’ Carmignano is made with 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and is aged for an average of 12 months in French oak. The wine is beautifully intense and elegant. The ’Ugo Contini Bonacossi’ is named after the family’s late patriarch who was a great advocate and ambassador of the Carmignano denomination. The wine is 100% Sangiovese from the Viticciana vineyard, a site selected by Ugo himself. In 1979, Ugo and Vittorio Contini Bonacossi decided to produce a Bordeaux blend in Carmignano, ‘Ghiaie della Furba’. The wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot grapes from a gravelly soil (Ghiaie) near the Furba stream after which the wine is named. The Trebbiano shows aromas of yellow flowers, almond and vanilla from oak ageing. Intense and harmonic on the palate, it has a refreshing acidity and a persistent finish.