UCB, the new Sangiovese from the Capezzana estate
Ugo Contini Bonacossi: this is the name of the new wine from the Capezzana estate dedicated to the historic owner, a prominent character in Tuscan winemaking and especially in wines from Carmignano, who died in 2012 at the age of 91. UCB is doubly novel for the winery, run today by Count Ugo’s children and grandchildren, because it is also the very first wine produced by Capezzana with 100% Sangiovese grapes. All of the other red wines from the winery’s range (DOCG, DOC, IGT) are in fact blends of native and international grapes, starting with Carmignano itself (first a DOC and then a DOCG), which was the first Tuscan wine to see Sangiovese and the two Cabernets come together.
Vineyards among the roses
Ugo and Lisa Contini Bonacossi
“This new wine,” explained the brother and sister Vittorio and Beatrice Contini Bonacossi during the presentation to the press, “comes from the Viticciana vineyard, the last one to be designed and created by our father 15 years ago. Its distinctive feature is the fact that the rows of vines are interrupted by two roads along the contour lines, on the counter-slope, to divert the rainwater and avoid soil erosion. Moreover, the rows are embellished with roses that he chose himself.” It should be pointed out how Ugo Contini Bonacossi was also an expert on the subject, having worked on the building of hillside lakes and artificial lakes in the 1950s, in Africa, the Middle East and South America.
The Medici’s vineyard
The Viticciana vineyard (2 hectares of surface area with 5 Sangiovese clones) was once known as “the vineyard of the Medici”, the best for producing Carmignano’s great red wines during the period of the Grand Duchy. The grapes from the 2013 vintage were vinified in steel, followed by malolactic fermentation in new French oak barriques. The wine then aged for 18 months in barriques, some new and some used, then matured in the bottle for a further 12 months. The result is a wine with full aromas, fruity with spicy notes, great structure, well-integrated tannins and extremely elegant. Production is about 3,500 bottles.
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