Conti Capponi – Villa Calcinaia

REGION: Toscana; APPELLATION: Chianti Classico; UGA: Montefioralle, Greve

Today’s UGA Montefioralle has historically counted within it four major farms: the Fattoria di Montefioralle, which used to bottle under the Castello di Montefioralle brand; Zano, which is now part of the Folonari family’s Tenute del Cabreo; and finally Castello di Verrazzano and Villa Calcinaia, which are still in the market today under their own brands.

In the specific case of Villa Calcinaia, however, its extension compared to the past has been reduced and, with the exception of the Le Refie area where marsanne and viognier are grown, it is now limited to the Montefioralle UGA where in terms of area it is second only to Castello di Verrazzano.

From a viticultural point of view, what characterizes it most is the fact that it lies exactly along the transition between the Alberese and the Sillano Formation*, and this convinced Sebastiano Capponi to create three Chianti Classico wines from single vineyards.

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Bastignano, which made its debut in 2006 as an IGT wine, comes from the highest terraces of the vineyard of the same name** where Alberese gives the wine a solid yet soaring character. Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Fornace, on the other hand, is produced closer to the course of the river Greve, where the particular combination of sands and gray clays gives the wine a more elegant profile. Finally, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna Contessa Luisa is produced on deeper, clayey soils, which explains its generous and almost opulent character, probably also linked to the western exposure of the vineyard.

*Present here in one of its many shades cataloged on the geological maps of yesteryear as “chaotic complex.”
*Speaking of Vigna Bastignano and Vigna Contessa Luisa, the most attentive user will notice a slight but important difference between the panoramic images and what is shown on the geological map of the estate: in the former case the real extension of the two vineyards is indicated, while in the latter only the part used to date to produce the respective Chianti Classico Gran Selezione.

Further insights: Chianti Classico, The Atlas of the UGAs