There are numerous explanations for the origin of the name
Montalcino, including two which are particularly appealing.
The first suggestion is that the name comes from the goddess
Lucina while the second possible origin in
Mons Ilcinus (Mount of the holm-oaks).
From an altitude of 500 meters, Montalcino
dominated the valley of the Orcia, the Arbia
and the Ombrone. In addition to its wealth of
history, Montalcino contains within its walls
such splendid artistic treasures as the Town
Hall, the neoclassical Cathedral and the
Civic and Archeological Museums. The
magnificent XIIth century Romanesque
Abbey of Sant’ Antimo stands in isolation
at a short distance from Montalcino.
As early as the 14th century,‘Brunello’
was the name given to a stream that at one
time flowed down towards the Abbey of
Sant’ Antimo but which has disappeared
today. In ancient times, the term ‘Brunello’
was used in the local dialect for a variety of
red grape widely grown on the hillside of
Montalcino. In the mid-eighteenth century,
t h e
selection of these grapes led to a particularly
smooth and harmonious wine which was thus named after the
grape used to produce it: Brunello di Montalcino.
The name of the estate apparently derives from ‘Ca’
Pazzo’, as shown on some ancient maps. The vineyards, the
cellars and all the agricultural equipment were installed at
the end of the 1960s and are continuously updated, both in
the countryside and in the winery. New training systems and
in particular various clonal selections are still the object of
experiments. The estate covers an area of 190 hectares (475
acres), 85 of which are vineyards, 4 are of olive groves, 87 of
which are wooded and 14 of which are to be planted with new
vines.
Caparzo is the only estate-bottled producer of Brunello di
Montacino to have estate vineyards on all five sides of the hill of
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Montalcino, ensuring that no matter what climatic challenges
effect one side, the other vineyards will more than compensate.
The Caparzo vineyards cover an area of 85 hectares (220
acres) around the town of Montalcino and 5 ha (15 acres)
in the territory of Buonconvento. In the ‘Caparzo’ district
on the hillside, at an altitude of 720 feet and with a south to
southeastern exposure, some 12 ha are planted with Brunello,
3 ha with Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Traminer, 5 ha with
Cabernet and Sangiovese Grosse (Brunello) and 2 ha with
Moscadello. The soil is of Pliocene origin, sedimentary and
made up of sand and clay. In the ‘La Casa’ area, at 902 feet,
with a south to southeastern exposure, 6 ha are planted with
Brunello, and here the soil, consisting mainly of schist and
sandstone, tends to be loose and rich in fossil matter.
In the western part, called ‘La Caduta’, at 885 feet, 7 hectares
are planted with Brunello on a schistose-clay soil (galestro).
Lastly, from the south to southeast of Montalcino, the ‘Il
Cassero’ vineyard stands at an altitude of 885 feet, with about
9 hectares of Brunello, 5 of Sangiovese and 1 of Shiraz, on a
sandy-stony or schist-clay soil of Pliocene origin. In the locality
of Buonconvento, 5 hectares are planted with Trebbiano and
Chardonnay.The vineyards are planted with spacing of 2.50x1m
(with a density of 4,000 rootstocks per hectare), 2.50x.80 m
(density 5,000) and, in part, 3x1.40m (density 2,400).
The Brunello vines are trained in the ‘cordone speronato’
or ‘cortina semplice’ system. The yield of wine is on average
50 hectoliters per hectare.
On the recently purchased ‘San Piero-Caselle’ land, about
35 new vineyards are to be planted in forthcoming years, with a
prevalence of Sangiovese.The climate in Montalcino is typically
Mediterranean with peaks of rainfall in the spring and autumn.
Winters are dry and harsh and summers are characterized by a
virtual absence of rain. The harvest period normally begins in
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early September for white grapes while red grapes are picked
in the third week of the same month. The Cabernet Sauvignon
and Sangiovese Grosso grapes, for the production of ‘Ca’ del
Pazzo’, are picked separately. The two wines are combined
only after the malolactic fermentation.
The grapes for ‘Le Grance’ are soft pressed, after which
fermentation of the must takes place in 300-liter oak casks.
When the fermentation has been completed, the wine remains
in the same casks for a further period of eight months. Red
grapes are removed from the stalks; must and pressings begin
fermentation at a controlled temperature and are repassed
and pressed over the grape dregs. Fermentation takes about
eight days.
The winery has stainless steel vats and is equipped according
to state-of-the-art technological criteria. The total capacity is
6,000 hectoliters. The wine is aged in a cellar with traditional
Slavonian oak casks with a total capacity of 2,900 hectoliters.
In addition, there are medium-sized 7 hectoliter casks with a
total capacity of 300 hectoliters. Lastly, casks of 225-350 liters
have a total capacity of 900 hectoliters.
Caparzo, with owner Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini and
winemaker Massimo Bracalente, aims to make top quality
products using meticulous and traditional techniques, while
at the same time applying a modern outlook in its commercial
relations with efficiency and capability. More than thirty
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years have passed since
the first vines were
planted and the first
steps in wine-making
taken. In this period,
Caparzo, bolstered by
its background in the
Brunello tradition and
the different terroirs of
the area, has proved its
Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini
ability to produce wines
with a creative flair and
spirit of innovation that
achieves top standards
in quality. This explains
why Caparzo wines have
been chosen by the most
famous restaurants in the Winemaker Massimo Bracalente
world and are served at
international meetings and
official State banquets.
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