2016 Caparsa Chianti Classico Riserva - Doccio E Mateo
Regular price $75.00
Reginaldo Cianferoni bought the Caparsa estate in Radda in 1965, it having been abandoned since the end of World War II, when many of the growers departed their farms for the surer bet of a city paycheck. The high-altitude village of Radda (500+ meters) was an especially difficult place to eek out a living then as a farmer, as grapes struggled to ripen in its cooler climate, compared with most other parts of Chianti Classico. With climate change, Radda now sits in the climatic sweet spot and hosts a high concentration of highest-quality producers, including Caparsa. Reginaldo’s son Paolo now directs the family estate, along with his partner Gianna and their children Federico, Filippo, Fiamma, Flavio, and Francesco (get the theme?). Their farming is certified organic, and soils are the classic Radda mix of alberese (rocky limestone), galestro (more clay-y but still rocky), clay, and sand.
'Doccio a Matteo' is a vineyard on the Caparsa estate, planted by nonno Cianferoni back in the 1960s, and their Chianti Classico Riserva from that vineyard. The 2016 is 98% sangiovese and 2% colorino, aged in a combination of 1000-liter, old wooden barrels (botti) and concrete vats. Pour it into a big glass to appreciate the beautiful sottobosco (forest floor) nose. The wine is mid-weight, neither too big nor too light, with everything in balance and in its place. There’s some darker, more brooding fruit in the finish. This is a wine with lots of layers - classic and mature, but not in the least over-mature. It shows how great Chianti Classico can be, especially with age and patience. It would be splendid with bisteca, pasta with a slow-simmered tomato sauce, or even a simple pizza.