When Virginia Cademartori, head of PR and Communications Platinum Media LLC, suggested I meet with Gabrielle Casagrande, the Export Manager of the Capanna Winery in Montalcino for breakfast while he was in NYC, I was a little skeptical. How would I taste the wines over coffee?
But when I met with Gabriele Casagrande, we had a great conversation, covering everything from the Italian wine industry to Italian wine writers today, to the weather, grappa, the 1996 vintage and much more. I found that we agreed on many subjects!
Gabriele told me about the Capanna Winery which was founded by Giuseppe Cencioni in 1957 and is still owned by the Cencioni Family. The winery is located in the northern part of Montalcino. Their vineyards are all within a 2 km radius from the cellar in Montosoli, which has always been considered one of the best areas for producing Brunello.
By the 1960’s, the family began to bottle their wines and after the DOC recognition of Brunello di Montalcino in 1966, Giuseppe Cencioni was one of the 25 founders of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino. Today the 25 hectares of vineyards are spread mostly around the Montosoli hill, one of the historic crus of Montalcino. It enjoys a very special microclimate and the vines are planted at an altitude of between 250 and 300 meters above sea level in soil that is predominantly clay (galestro), limestone and skeleton-rich. The vineyards are cared for using innovative agricultural practices aimed at improving the ecosystem side-by-side with tradition. They have introduced cutting edge technology, for example, temperature control in every phase of transformation as well as the automatic pump-over system. All the historic rooms, just like the rooms for bottling, labeling, packaging and storage, are temperature controlled to have constant and optimal conditions to ensure the perfect preservation of our wines. Capanna has always maintained a production style in line with the tradition, handed down from generation to generation.
Gabriele brought three wines for me to take and drink at home. This gave me the opportunity to taste the wines and pair them with food an opportunity I do not often have.
The Capanna wines
Bianco Toscana IGT “SanGioBi” 2024 made from 100% Sangiovese. It is a paper white wine made from a red grape. Harvest and selection is by hand. The grapes are destemmed and crushed as soon as possible. Then a soft pressing of the grapes, followed by fermentation in stainless steel at a low temperature (12 -14 degrees C) for about 1 month. The wine is aged in 10 hl oak barrels for several months and released 6 to 8 months after the harvest. The wine has hints of citrus fruit, green apple, pear, a touch of spice and is crisp with good acidity. Gabriele said because the this white wine is made from a red grape and aged in wood it can be drunk now but could also age for a few years.
We had a summer favorite, Stracci di Pasta con Mille Herbe, Ragged Pasta with a Thousand Herbs, from Michele’s early books, A Fresh Taste of Italy and also published in Gourmet Magazine.Michele’s handmade pasta is tossed with an uncooked sauce of chopped fresh tomatoes, a multitude of fresh herbs, and pecorino Romano cheese.
Rosso Di Montalcino DOC 2024 made from 100% Sangiovese. Harvest is in late September and early October. Alcoholic fermentation with maceration of the skins (18-20 days) at a controlled temperature and spontaneous malolactic fermentation, both take place in truncated cone-shaped Slavonian oak casks. Aging is in Slavonian oak casks of 20 to 32 hl for 6-10 months; followed by aging in bottles for at least 3-4 months. The wine is released 15 to 18 months after the harvest. Gabriele said this was a lighter style Rosso because of the climatic conditions. The wine has hints of cherry, raspberry, blackberries, and spice with touch of violet and a note of lavendar. Gabriele said the Rosso in this vintage offers excellent structure and early drinkability while retaining classic Tuscan characteristics.
I brought the wine to the home of a friend and we enjoyed it with a casual lunch of prosciutto, mortadella, soppressata, and cheese with olives.
Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG 2021 made from 100% Sangiovese carefully selected in the oldest vineyards. Alcoholic fermentation takes place with maceration of the skins for 25-30 days at a controlled temperature followed by spontaneous malolactic fermentation. Both take place in truncated cone-shaped Slavonian oak vats. Aging is in Slavonian oak barrels from 10 to 32 hl for about 30-36 months. Then the wine is aged in the bottle for at least 6 months before being released in January of the fifth year after the harvest. This is a full bodied, complex traditional Brunello with hints of black cherries, cranberries, strawberries, violets with a touch of licorice and hint of tobacco. This is an exceptional Brunello.
Michele and I thought this wine was a perfect match with an herbed rack of lamb we enjoyed on another occasion.
The Capanna Winery also makes other wines, including a Moscadello di Montalcino, and a late harvest Moscadello di Montalcino, as well as olive oil and grappa. The property is also home to Capanna Suites, an Agriturismo, Spa & Wine Club, and a restaurant called Il Passaggio which would be worth a visit if you are in the area.