Everyone loves this Tuscan “baby”, Capezzana’s Barco Reale

Everyone loves this Tuscan “baby”, Capezzana’s Barco Reale

Capezzana Barco Reale di Carmignano (DOC) 2019 

RRP €24.99. Red Island Wine Co. The Allotment. Grapevine. Wineonline.ie. O’Donovans Off Licence. La Touche Wines. Clontarf Wines

Everybody loves a baby and this Barco Real is the baby at Capezzana, one of most famous of Tuscan wineries. This light and easy drinking blend of Sangiovese (75%), Cabernet Sauvignon (15%), Canaiolo and Cabernet Franc, is the youthful version of the Carmignano from Capezzana and has become known as their “baby wine, the everyday drinking wine”. So said Pierpaolo Guerra of Capezzana as he introduced this wine at a September tasting in the MacCurtain Street Cellar.

The Carmignano is produced from slightly older grapes and also spends more time in oak compared to the 6-8 month stay of the Barco Real. 

This 2019 baby has a deep ruby red colour. The intense and fruity nose displays aromas of red plum and cherry with subtle hints of oak from barrel ageing. Rounded and ripe on the palate, it shows a perfect balance of fruit and well-integrated tannins. There is a hint of spiced berries on the long, elegant finish. Young but quite irresistible. 

Very Highly Recommended.

You may be surprised to see French grapes in the mix but Pierpaulo explained that French grapes have a very long history here as we sipped this aromatic and fruity wine with a spicy finish.

Not everyone is a fan of the international grapes. Take Giovanni Manetti, who runs the family vineyard Fontodi (1968) in the heart of Chianti Classico, as an example. 

He is proud that the main red grape here is Sangiovese, that it has seen off the challenge of the international grapes. “By rule, Chianti Classico must contain 80% Sangiovese but the trend is towards increasing that percentage, a very positive trend as it gives more sense of place. It is a very delicate grape but suits the terroir and it expresses it well. …Sangiovese has always been the biggest player but other indigenous grapes could be a good companion, better than the international varieties.”

While international grapes go back a long time here, Capezzana itself though has a much longer history. Situated in the Carmignano zone to the west of Florence, is nowadays owned and run by the Contini Bonacossi family, the latest in a long line. In fact, in the archives in Florence, they discovered a contract for the rent of vines and olive groves at Capezzana signed in 804 AD.

See more on Capezzana here .