Rosso di Caparsa comes from Radda in Chianti, the heart of Tuscany, on hilly, high-elevation vineyards. Wild yeasts are used for fermentation, and the wine ages in stainless steel. I’ll let Paolo explain the blend: “The Wine ‘Rosso di Caparsa’ is made with Sangiovese and two white grapes: Trebbiano and Malvasia. This wine remembers the ancient Chianti wine made for the peasant to drink a lot. It is a brilliant red, with very intense aromas of flowers. The taste is very agreeable. It is not full-bodied, so you can drink a lot of it. It is not a white wine, not a rosé wine; it is a natural expression of a traditional wine.”
TENUTA CAPARSA, PAOLO CIANFERONI, Radda in Chianti
Certified organic by CCPB
The vineyards here are truly in the heart of Chianti, a perfect location, radiating out with the cellar as their centre. The best vines are situated a few hundred metres farther up the hill from the cellar (450 metres above sea level) and are heavily planted with Sangiovese. Small amounts of Canaiolo, Malvasia Nera, Colorino, and Trebbiano are also grown.
Respect for nature and balance with the larger environment are core principles at Caparsa. Sixty percent of the estate’s land remains forested for biodiversity. “Herbicides simplify a vineyard,” Cianferoni has stated. Chemicals have an undeniable dulling impact on a farm’s products. Making wines this thrilling has to be done naturally. Cianferoni is in the process of selecting and replanting portions of his old vineyards with plant stock culled from his oldest vineyards: massale replanting. He believes these 46-year-old vineyards produce wines that are rustic at first, yet are innately very age-worthy.
The vines grow in gallestro and alberese soils. The roots must work hard to derive life from this rocky ground, fight to reach the abundant water deep under the surface. Cianferoni appreciates the struggle of his vines. “When life is too easy it becomes boring, and you kill yourself” he said. We need toil to sustain us, and so do vines.
Cianferoni bottles once per year, an average of 20,000 bottles. “If I stay small I control everything.” He ferments in concrete.