Marco Capitoni‘s communicative passion is proportional to the definition of his wines. We are in Val d’Orcia, in Tuscany (Central Italy), where “the most beautiful wine in the world” is produced thanks to the Unesco recognition as World Heritage Site for the valley (read here).
There are 50 hectares (123 acres) with the house in the middle. Capitoni family starts with cereals and olive trees within a farm. There was little wine and intended for family use. The turning point happened between 1996 and 1997 and consequently with the first bottle in 2001 named after the family name “Capitoni”. Then, “Frasi”, with a short sentence (“frasi” in italian) of Marco on the label, in 2005 and “Troccolone”, worked in amphora, in 2015, all reds nd based on Sangiovese.
capitoni
The vineyards are managed thought sustainable agriculture’s principles; the soils have Pliocene origin with stratification of sand and clay, mainly clay, and outcrop of fossils. The plants are caressed by a constant breeze and there no fog. They work on 6 hectares (14 acres) of vines for a total of 20,000 bottles, a few more hectares will be added but they will not expand much to maintain direct control.
The view from the vineyards is beautiful, the barrel cellar is welcoming with the works of artists they host for exhibitions.
We started tasting barrel samples and, above all, amphora samples: the Sangiovese destined for Troccolone. The use of the amphora is crucial to Marco as he consider it the best container to have stability and oxygenation in a short time without – therefore – losing the primary aromas but avoiding aromatic interferences such as those of wood.
Here, however, are some notes about the wines tasted on this occasion.
- “FRASI” ORCIA SANGIOVESE RISERVA DOC 2019
100% Sangiovese
Intense nose of black fruit, wet soil and then violet and roots but also a minty note. On the palate it is dense with mature tannins. It is ore focused on elegance than exuberance of the fruit
- “CAPITONI” ORCIA RISERVA DOC 2018
80% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot (the percentage of Merlot is a little higher than usual).
Inviting nose with dried fruit, ash, berries and Mediterranean scrub. On the palate, is round with a more evident and immediate fruity character given the greater presence of Merlot but due to the prevalence of Sangiovese it remains dry and with an important tannic structure. Probably smoother than 2017 despite not ready yet, it has not completed the ageing in the bottle yet.
