Report on Fine Tuscan Tasting

Report on Fine Tuscan Tasting
The 3 Horseshoes, Madingley, Cambs
18th January 2012.

View Pictures from the event HERE

Even in the trade it is rare that you are able to enjoy a relaxed lunch-tasting with one of the greatest Tuscan wine producers there is, so to be in the company of three, and their great wines, is special in the extreme. On Wednesday 18th of January 2012, Beatrice Contini Bonacossi (Capezzana), Luca Sanjust (Petrolo) and Andrea Costanti (Conti Costanti) gave us a masterclass on their unique wines, representing the regions of Carmigano, Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino respectively.

Capezzana Wines, Carmignano, Northern Tuscany
Served with bruschetta con fegato di pollo

Capezzana’s wines have never been better. They have a purity and freshness of flavour that shines through in the glass, and a suppleness on the palate that yields great pleasure. The younger generation of the Contini Bonacossi family is now firmly in charge of this estate, with the highly talented Stefano Chioccioli giving them a hand in the winery.



2009 Barca Real £75 per 6.
Barco Reale is a younger version of the Carmignano from Capezzana, as the fruit is sourced from slightly younger vines in the same vineyards. The grape blend is 70% Sangiovese plus Cabernet Sauvignon, Franc and Canaiolo. The wine was matured in 25 hectolitre Allier oak barrels for 12 months before bottling, followed by three months in bottle before release. The 2009 has good depth of ruby red colour, with intense, fruity perfumes of cherry and plum, given an extra dimension by a touch of oak. On the palate, it is rounded and ripe, with a lovely balanced fruit and tannin structure, and a long, elegant finish with a hint of spiced dark berry fruit.

2007 Villla Capezzana Carmignano £126 per 6.
Summer conditions were very favourable in 2007, producing excellent, clean fruit harvested at ideal maturity. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks for 25 days at 18-25°C. The wine aged in 3.5 hectolitre tonneaux for 14 months, followed by 6 months in bottle before release. It’s a Tuscan classic that has the potential to age decades; ruby red colour with a restrained, elegant nose. Perfumes of dark cherry and liquorice give way to spice and plums on the palate. Rounded tannins from the Sangiovese are lifted by the cassis concentration of the Cabernet and melt into a long, perfumed finish. Considering the pedigree and the critical acclaim, Villa Capezzana seems to be one of the best value wines in Tuscany. (91/100 Wine Advocate)

2006 Ghiaie della Furba £180 per 6.
Put in simple terms you would be best off describing this as the Super-Tuscan or International Wine of the estate. A blend of Cabernet, Syrah and Merlot it may be but the wine tastes as much of Tuscany as t does the grapes behind it. Grapes for this wine are grown on the alluvial valley of the Furba River. The south, south-west facing vineyards are situated approximately 150-200 metres above sea level. The wine was aged for 14 months in French oak barriques before bottling. It remained in bottle for a year before release. The 06 is glorious with intense ruby red in colour with a concentrated restrained nose. Perfumes of small wild red berries and spicy blackcurrant give way to a firm, full-bodied palate, with dense, sweet tannins and lovely balance. Long and perfumed on the finish. (93/100 Wine Advocate)

Petrolo Wines, Eastern Tuscany
Served with Pici con cavolo nero e pecorino


Petrolo is situated in the area known as the Colli Aretini, bordering on the Chianti Hills, a historical area delimited in 1716 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de’ Medici as one of Tuscany’s top four wine producing zones. The Petrolo estate was part of the old medieval fiefdom of ’Galatrona’, the old tower (‘Torrione’) of which still remains on top of Roman foundations. Luca Sanjust has been running the estate since the mid-1980’s, having taken over from his mother, Lucia Bazzocchi, whose family bought it in the 1940’s. This property has become one of Tuscany’s most talked about estates in the past few years. The vibrancy and intensity of the fruit that Luca Sanjust is now getting in his wines has brought them to the attention of a wider group of people, something they have long deserved. Luca’s 100% Merlot, Galatrona, is highly sought after in Italy, and one taste of this massive wine will show why.

2008 Fattoria Petrolo Torrione £180 per 6.
The 2008 climate was irregular. Spring was generally humid and rainy but didn`t prevent the regular care of the vineyards, nor the various phases of the green harvest. Summer was quite regular, without peaks of temperature, which aided optimal maturation. The end of the summer season (September-October) was really good, allowing perfect maturation of the grapes in the 2nd half of October, especially for the Sangiovese. It seems that across the Chianti region the wines from this vintage have a combination of great perfume and elegance, with silky tannins. It’s not a big powerful vintage and for that reason this is refreshing in both senses of the word. The 08 Torrione is a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot aged in French oak barriques (30% new), partly into 30 hectolitre oak barrels. It matured for 15 months, with the first 6 months on the lees. After bottling it was aged for a further six months before release. It has a ruby red in colour, with an intensely perfumed nose of wild red and black fruit, cherries and raspberries and spicy vanilla from the oak ageing. Lovely weight on the palate with the oak adding polish and roundness to the structure of the Sangiovese. (91/100 Wine Advocate, 90/100 Wine Spectator)

2007 Fattoria Petrolo Galatrona £540 per 6.
Galatrona is one of the world’s few great 100% Merlot wines, along with a handful of fellow Tuscans, some Pomerols and a small number of St Emilions. The vineyards here were planted at the beginning of the 1990s. Yields are low, producing just 500g of grapes per vine (equal to half a bottle per vine), which results in a wine with great concentration of flavour. The soil consists of rocky stratifications of galestro, clay-like earth with schist typical of the Apennine areas in Tuscany. The maceration on the skins lasted approximately 14 days. Regular and frequent pumping over at the beginning of fermentation was carried out to ensure maximum extraction of colour and ripe tannins. Malolactic fermentation took place in new French oak barriques, where the wine aged for 18 months, the first 6 of which were spent in contact with the lees. The 2007, a great vintage, for sure, has deep purple in colour with ruby red hues, with perfumes of dark berries, plums and mocha on the nose, giving way to soft, ripe fruit and rounded spicy tannins on the palate. Dense, supple and concentrated to the finish, this wine exudes great elegance. (95/100 Wine Advocate. 98/100 James Suckling)

Conti Costanti Wines, Brunello di Montalcino
Served with Spezzatino di capriole e borlotti e carota

Andrea Costanti’s estate has been in his family for over 200 years. It is one of the most venerable in Montalcino, yet the wines have been modernised in an intelligent manner in the past fifteen years, with the help of consultant oenologist Vittorio Fiore. The style is characterised by the striking elegance and intensity of the best wines from this zone, combining the power of Montalcino with the elegance that comes from vineyards situated at a high altitude in the northern part of the zone. The vineyards cover 10 hectares just outside the town of Montalcino and are planted over 400m above sea level, on the ‘galestro’ typical of the area. This friable rock of marl-like soil is also found in Chianti Classico and is particularly suited to the production of the very best Sangiovese.

2009 Rosso di Montalcino £150 per 6.
The vineyards for his Rosso are planted on galestro soil and are situated at an altitude of over 400 metres above sea level. The Sangiovese vines are between 6 and 25 years old.

2009 was an excellent vintage, providing good availability of water after a wet winter helped the vines to survive the summer heat. The spring was warm and with little variation in temperature which enabled germination to take place - an important starting point for vegetative development. A very long, hot, summer allowed grapes to ripen perfectly producing less than the year before. Harvest took place from mid September. According to Andrea Costanti, “2009 is considered a fantastic vintage – one of the best in the last 20 years”

Fermentation took place on the skins in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature using selected yeasts and lasted two weeks. Malolactic fermentation took place in tank. The wine was then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels of 3.5 hectolitres before being bottled. Lovely depth of ruby red colour with an intense core and youthful rim, the 2009 Rosso is perfumed and full. On the palate it has silky, beautifully balanced tannins, ripe, rounded red and black fruit characters and a lovely spicy finish. I know these wines well and in my opinion this is easily his best ever Rosso.


Andrea Costanti.

2006 Brunello di Montalcino £275 per 6.
The 2006 Brunello is more powerfully structured and more aromatic than the previous vintage, with dark, morello cherry, currants and cinnamon perfumes on the nose. On the palate it has a lovely balance between ripe, silky tannins, softened by cask and bottle ageing and melting, spiced red and black berry fruit characters. There is an attractive savoury, liquorice note on the long finish. (93/100 Wine Spectator, 95/100 Wine Advocate, 96/100 Tanzer).



2005 Brunello di Montalcino £264 per 6
2005 was officially rated 4 star rather than a 5 star vintage and no Riserva was made so all the Riserva quality wine went into the regular Brunello. As a result, it is rich and intense, with a lovely spicy, concentrated perfume, good depth and tremendous structure on the palate, with a perfect balance between ripe, approachable fruit and rounded tannins. (93/100 Wine Advocate).

2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva £450 per 6.
2004 was immediately considered one of the best ever in Montalcino, with an extraordinary official rating of 5/5 star. The Riserva is made from a selection of the best grapes from the estate`s oldest vineyards. Good rainfall in the spring ensured the water reserves in the soil were sufficient to withstand the long, hot summer which followed. Dry, sunny days and cool nights created the perfect conditions and the grapes were hand-picked in the third week of September in excellent condition. (94/100 Wine Advocate, 92/100 Wine Spectator).



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Ed Wells
19th January 2010