Capezzana, `Ghiaie della Furba`
Vintage: 2020
| Vintage | Product Code | Format | Closure | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CA106B20 | 6 x 75 | Natural Cork | Available |
Producer
Capezzana, in the Carmignano zone to the west of Florence, is owned and run by the Contini Bonacossi family who are the latest in a long line of owners. The history of the estate has been found to stretch back to 804 AD. This is evidenced by contracts to rent vines and olive groves at Capezzana, signed in this period, which exist in the archives in Florence.
Today, the responsibility for ensuring the continuation of such longevity lies with the fourth generation of the Contini Bonacossi family. Beatrice Contini Bonacossi looks after all marketing and communication aspects, while her sister Benedetta is in charge of winemaking. Franco Bernabei is their consultant winemaker, under whose guidance the Capezzana wines have achieved additional focus and personality.
The estate comprises 80 hectares of vineyard and 30,000 olive trees, all of which are farmed organically. The wines were certified organic from the 2015 vintage. Capezzana’s reds 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, aged for an average of 12 months in French oak. The resulting wine is beautifully intense and elegant.
The ’Ugo Contini Bonacossi’ pays homage to the family’s late patriarch who was a great advocate and ambassador of the Carmignano denomination. The wine is 100% Sangiovese, sourced from the Viticciana vineyard Ugo himself selected. In 1979, Ugo and Vittorio Contini Bonacossi decided to produce a Bordeaux blend in Carmignano. ‘Ghiaie della Furba’ is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot grapes, planted on gravelly soils (Ghiaie) near the Furba stream after which the wine is named. The Trebbiano shows aromas of yellow flowers, almonds and vanilla from oak ageing. Intense and harmonic on the palate, it has a refreshing acidity and a persistent finish.
Vineyards
Grapes for this wine are grown on the alluvial valley of the Furba River. The south/south-west facing vineyards are situated at approximately 200 metres above sea level.The soils are very diverse, with marl, schist, galestro and alberese rocks, and also some limestone, which adds a certain complexity to the wine. The ideal climatic conditions allow Capezzana to practise an eco-friendly form of farming, without using pesticides. Other sustainable farming practices at Capezzana include the use exclusively of organic fertilisers, a techinque known as "sovescio" (ploughing under legume and cereal crops grown between the vines' rows), and no use of herbicides. The vines are between 28 and 40 years old.
Vintage
2020 began with a fairly mild, dry winter, followed by rain showers in late April and early May. Summer was also characterised by hot and windy days, alternating with cool nights, which helped with fruit ripening. There were few instances of rain in July and August, followed by extreme rain in September. It was an excellent vintage in terms of quality, however as it is often the case with great vintages, the production suffered a decrease of about 25-30% (compared to yields in 2019).
Vinification
All of the grapes were hand harvested. Fermentation lasted seven days and took place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Temperatures did not exceed 28°C during fermentation. After 13 days of maceration, the wine was transferred into French barriques, where malolactic fermentation was completed within one month. The wine was aged for 18 months in 225-litre French oak barriques, of which 10% were new. It remained in bottle for at least a year before release.
Tasting Notes & Technical Details
This wine is intense ruby red in colour. On the nose there are distinct aromas of black cherries, blackberries with hints of cocoa and oak-derived spice. The palate is full bodied, with ripe and fresh tannins, complemented with well-balanced acidity. The structure of this wine lends to a long and fruity finish.
Alcohol (ABV)
14.5%
Acidity
5.93 g/l
Residual Sugar
0.54 g/l
Other wines from this producer
Producer | Wine | Product Code | Features | Style | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capezzana | Barco Reale di Carmignano | CA103 | R | Factsheet | |
| `Villa di Capezzana` Carmignano | CA104 | R | Factsheet | ||
| Vin Santo di Carmignano | CA107 | Sw | Factsheet | ||
| Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Non-Filtered) | CA108 | OO | Factsheet | ||
| Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil | CA109 | OO | Factsheet | ||
| Trebbiano | CA111 | W | Factsheet | ||
| `Ugo Contini Bonacossi` | CA125 | R | Factsheet |