In the United States wines tend to known by the grape
variety on the label (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay etc.) which also
identifies for the consumer the winery (Robert Mondavi, Kendall Jackson,
Chateau St. Michelle etc.), the origin of the grape (Napa, Sonoma, Willamette
Valley etc.), as well as the vintage. I find wine labels in the USA to be
fairly easy to read and understand but they do not convey any real indication
of the quality of the wine nor the methods that were used to make the wine. The only way you can know if the wine is meeting
any expectation of quality is if you know the reputation of the winery and
their particular brands.
In France, with the exception of Alsace, wines are
identified by the appellation and the only way you know what grapes are in the
bottle is if you know what grapes are grown in that region. The wine regions
are then categorized according to a ranking system appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) which translates as “controlled designation of origin” which indicates the
degree of stipulations that must be met in order for that wine to be labeled as
such. This ranking system is supposed to convey some sense of expectation of
quality that consumer should have of the wine.
In Italy, the rules vary from region to region. Some are
identified by their location and others are identified by their grape. Italy
also has a ranking system Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) that is loosely based on French laws. When the
wine is identified by the region, the consumer is expected to know what grape(s)
go into wines from that appellation.
If you are looking for a wine made with Sangiovese in the
United States the label will specifically indicate “Sangiovese” and if it is a
proprietary blend made with Sangiovese (such as Luna Vineyard’s Super Tuscan
blend Canto) it may state the varietals on the back label.
So, here is the label for the 2011 Caprili Rosso di Montalcino. What does it tell us?
So, here is the label for the 2011 Caprili Rosso di Montalcino. What does it tell us?
The name of the winery is Caprili, it is a DOC wine from Italy, the vintage is
2011… but what, the average consumer may wonder, is Rosso di Montalcino? There is NO specific indication as to what kind of grape is in the wine as it does not say “Sangiovese” or “Barbera” or “Nebbiolo”. This
is where the professional wine-geek, whether at wine shop or restaurant, is
needed to interpret the label. Or, perhaps if you have a handy dandy wine app
on your smart phone that can help you too. But if you think this label is
difficult, check out the detailed German wine labels! (I’ll discuss that in
another post)
Rosso di Montalcino is not a grape but a region in Italy that is designated a DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) and it
is located in the same defined area as the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (Denominazione di Origine
Controllata e Garantita).
Both are located in Tuscany, in central
Italy, where Sangiovese is the dominant red grape. In fact, Rosso and Brunello can be made
of only Sangiovese. But Brunello, a DOCG, are required to be aged in oak for 2 years with at least
4 months in a bottle before release, whereas Rosso, a DOC, is only required to have 1 year of aging before it can be
sold. That is one of the
quality differences between the DOC and the DOCG.
The
Rosso di Montalcino DOC was created in 1984 in order to make
the most of the fruit from younger vines of new plantings. The puprose was to
create a fresher style of wine that needed considerably less ageing time (one
year with only six months in oak) than its DOCG counterpart. This would enable
producers of Brunello to generate income while waiting for their DOCG wine to
age, as well as declassify any Brunello that had been ageing for two to three
years but had not quite reached the required standards. A similar classification
strategy was used in Montepulciano, with the Rosso di Montepulciano DOC helping out producers of Vino
Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG.
Caprili Winery
Caprili Winery was
founded by Alfo Bartolommei in 1965. The Bartolommei family originated from
Podere Marzolo in the Municipality of Cinigiano (Province of Grosseto) and settled
in the Municipality of Montalcino at the beginning of the 20th
century. In 1911, they moved to Podere Poggi, a tenant farm on the Villa
Santa Restituta estate working the land by sharecropping. In the years
that followed, the family moved several times from one country home to another
on the Villa Santa Restituta estate until they finally arrived at the Caprili
farm home in 1952. The family took over Caprili with all their livestock
and continued to work the land by sharecropping. In 1965, the Bartolommei
family decided to buy the property from the Castelli-Martinozzi family, owners
of Villa Santa Restituta estate. In the same year, 1965, they planted the
first vineyard, still called “Madre” to this day, where the clones for the new
vineyards planted on the estate are selected. The first bottle of Brunello di
Montalcino is from the 1978 harvest and was put on the market in 1983.
The company Caprili, covers an area 58 acres, south-west of the territory
in the town of Montalcino, on a slope of the hill that slopes down to the river
Orcia and Ombrone. The vineyard area is 15.5
hectares of which 14.5 planted with Sangiovese Grosso that produce Brunello di
Montalcino DOCG and Rosso di Montalcino DOC.[1]
The Wine
The
first thing I notice on the nose are very distinctive dusty tart cherries that
seem like what you might pick up at a fruit stand on the side of the road out in
the country. Then there comes a waft of a chalky minerality followed by dried
herbs and then a very unique subtle aroma of burnt rubber tires, like someone
in front of you on the freeway just locked up their brakes and left a long
strip of tread on the road. On the palate most of the fruit is picked up on the
mid-palate transition, it has soft tannins, mouth-watering acidity, medium body
and a medium length finish with additional notes of dried cinnamon stick, dried
tobacco and oak. This wine begins and ends with dry earth notes with the fruit
found in the middle. If tasted blind, it is the dusty cherries, herbs and high
acidity that identify this wine as a Sangiovese. But I have had a number of
California versions that were similar but most tend to have heavier weight due
to being higher in alcohol as they come from a warmer region. This is a nice everyday
wine that would pair well with any typical Italian dinner (Pizza, Spaghetti,
Calzone etc.) and it sells retail for around $24 and wine shops such as The Vine at Bridges in Danville,
California.
To visit or for more information:
The Vine at Bridges
480 Hartz Ave
Danville, CA 94526
Phone: 1-925-820-7210
Wine Bar Hours
Sunday:
12 (noon) - 7pm
Monday:
5 - 9pm
Tuesday
- Wednesday: 4 - 10pm
Thursday
- Saturday: 4 pm - 12:00 am
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