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| ~ The Caparzo Estate is among the larger estates in Montalcino ~ |
The Caparzo estate has long been a mainstay in the Montalcinese countryside. A sprawling estate of over 180 hectares, almost half of which are under vine, Caparzo is one of the larger producers in the Brunello zone.
The Caparzo name is believed to have originated from the original term Ca’ Pazzo – where Ca’ is an abbreviation of the word Casa. In this case, Casa Pazzo or literally, “Crazy House”. I think that term is somewhat apt in relation to the way I perceive Caparzo’s Brunello. They are somewhat mercurial in nature, often appearing light bodied and uninteresting in their youth, but then maturing to glorius complexity. While their flagship Brunello, “La Casa” is routinely among my favorites, the estate Brunello requires some patience, some coddling.
With this in mind, I recently had the 2007 Caparzo Brunello al fresco with some grilled meat, burratta, and traditional accompaniements. In the glass, the wine is a dark, deep ruby trending to garnet. There’s a trace of lightness at the rim of the bowl that provides that clue as to the pedigree of the wine. On the nose, the wine is expressive, with rich smelling cherry, earth, fennel, and spice. On the palate, the wine seems slightly more structured than many 2007’s I’ve had. The ripeness of the vintage is evident, but there seems to be a more “classic” core underpinning this wine. Dark cherries, dried herbs and a slightly tart finish bring this medium bodied wine to conclusion. Patience. While this wine is very good now, there are better things ahead for it. Like the 2001 linked above, I have high hopes. The best part is, this Brunello is so affordable, that you can grab a few and easily tuck them away in the cellar with “Open in 2017” posted on the label. I’ll hold up my end of the bargain. 90 points, about $33.
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| ~ 2007 Caparzo Estate Brunello di Montalcino ~ |
Allora!
John, you might remember that Caparzo Estate 2008 Brunello di Montalcino was one of my "Best buy wines" before summer, so I agree with you. I haven't tasted the 2007, but I own at least one bottle 🙂
Yes, I do. You know, recently I had been "down" on this producer for a few softer wines. You know, wines that seemed more like Rosso than Brunello. But I think they make their wine in a style that almost requires cellaring. It's like it comes together after many years for a much better result. It's funny, La Casa is always great. Stupendous wine. This one seems to be slow out of the gate – but I can still remember that 2001. I'd like to try and turn these into that.
We attended a Caparzo wine tasting dinner here in Connecticut in January 2012 served with authentic Tuscan dishes. We had just returned from Tuscany a couple of months prior to the tasting and the meal was pretty close to authentic…..of course you can never beat being there. Anyway, the wines were impressive included the Brunello you tastes as well as the Riserva and the Rosso di Montalcino among a couple of others.. I picked up a couple of bottles of the '07 and they are stiing in the cellar. Nice to know these "young ones" are coming along well!! Caio!
Ciao Bob,
Thanks for reading and commenting. Caparzo is a mainstay. To be around that long, they must be doing something right. I think we tend to search for immediate gratification (there's Napa for that!) and forget to let some of these wines get better with time.
Thanks again,
John
Do you mind sharing who the importer is for this winery?
Not at all. It's imported by Vineyard Brands at the moment.