Kissimmee's Vintage Vino recently hosted a tasting of selected Carpineto wines and, while I was unable to attend in person, I bought the particular wines to taste at my leisure.
The Carpineto winery was founded in 1967 in Chianti Classico by Giovanni Carlo Sacchet and Antonio Carlo Zaccheo and has subsequently expanded to include holdings in other major Tuscan wine producing regions. The company "prides itself on its sustainable, carbon neutral farming techniques and ... aromatic, ageworthy, approachable ... wines."
Fruit for its wines are sourced from "500 ha of sustainably farmed land spread among 5 carbon neutral estates ..." The locations and characteristics of those estates are illustrated in the chart below.
The wines included in the tasting were as follows:
- Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva 2016
- Brunello di Montalcino 2016
- Chianti Classico Riserva 2016
- Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2015
- Farnito Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
- Molin Vecchio IGT 2012.
The Brunello di Montalcino was vinified with frequent pump-overs during a 15-day maceration period. The wine was aged in Slavonian oak for 3 years and an additional 6 months in bottle. This wine is complex on the nose with notes of violets, berries, and black pepper. Balanced on the palate with tar, curry, spice, and mint flavors accompanied by a stony minerality. A long, sweet finish.
The Vino Nobile de Montepulciano Riserva is primarily Sangiovese along with Canaiolo and other authorized varietals. The skin and must was macerated for 10 - 15 days with frequent pump-overs. The majority of the wine was aged for 2 years in 5500 L Slavonian oak barrels with a small component aged in French oak barrels. The wine was further aged in bottle for 6 - 8 months prior to release on the market.
Tobacco on the nose along with dark fruits, baking spices, rust, and mint. Black fruits, black pepper, and a savoriness. Great acid levels.
The grapes for the Gran Selezione were sourced from a 2-ha plot on the Dudda estate. Grapes were hand-selected and then vinified by indigenous yeasts in small stainless steel tanks. The wine was aged in French oak for 18 months. Red fruit, baking spices, licorice, and baked almonds on the nose. Balanced red fruit on the palate.
The Chianti Classico Riserva is primarily Sangiovese with contributions from Canaiolo and other red varieties. The wine is vinified with medium-duration maceration and then aged in Slavonian and French oak barrels for 12+ months. The wine is transferred into stainless steel tanks prior to bottling.
Rich and layered on the nose, with notes of raspberry, vanilla, ripe fruit, and currants. Soft, full, round mouthfeel. A creaminess accompanies bright acidity and chewy tannins. Flavors of cherry, raspberry, and coal. A long, slightly bitter finish. Bright future. One of my favorites of the wines in this group.
The Farnito is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes sourced from the Gaville and Montepulciano estates. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks with 10 - 15 days of maceration and periodic pump-overs. The wines experienced full malolactic fermentation before aging for 12 months in used French and American oak barriques. The wine spends an additional 8 months in bottle before it is released on the market.
Elegant on the nose with aromas of violets, dark fruits, baking spices, mint, and a creaminess. Broad-based on the palate with black fruit flavors and tar preceding a green, herby finish.
Unlike the other wines, the Molin Vecchio is IGT; but it does not allow that fact to get in its way. Grapes are sourced from a Montepulciano vineyard that was planted in 1995 at 4464 vines/ha. Planted varieties include Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino, and Merlot, all on 420A rootstock.
The wine is a blend of 80% Sangiovese clone A548, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon clone CL15, and 10% Syrah clone 470. The grapes were subjected to small-lot fermentation using indigenous yeasts. The must was macerated for 15 days with frequent aeration, pump-overs, and punch-downs. After malolactic fermentation the wine was aged in new French and American oak barrels for 12 months. The wine was racked and bottled unfiltered and then aged for an additional 4-5 months.
Black fruit, smoke, bacon fat, nutmeg, vanilla, and currants on the nose. Nose transits to the palate. Great weight with silky tannins and a long, rich finish.
Overall, a good lineup. I was especially pleased with the Chianti Classico Riserva and the Molin Vecchio.
©Wine -- Mise en abyme
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