It’s not possible to talk about Radda in Chianti without thinking about the fact that this area, in the heart of Chianti Classico, has been underestimated for a long time because of its excessive altitude. This morphological condition allowed with great difficulty the Sangiovese to age properly and so the wines of Radda were almost always considered too thin, slightly scarce in substance. Things, however, are changing quickly due to global warming which has made it more and more complex to produce elegant wines at lower altitudes, and this has meant that wine enthusiasts reconsidered their priorities in terms of taste, preferring wines that a decade ago looked with a certain detachment.
Just to better know the production of Radda was founded the association “Vignaioli di Radda” which brings together about thirty producers among the most representative of that territory such as Caparsa, founded in 1965 by Professor Reginaldo Cianferoni who had bought a farm and started planting the first vines. The real deus ex machina of Caparsa, however, is Paolo Cianferoni who, helped by his partner Gianna and, over time, by two of his five sons, Federico and Filippo, brought the winery to a very high level of quality and consequent notoriety.
Today Caparsa extends for about 12 hectares, all replanted by Paolo since 1999, which are processed, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, according to a strict certified organic regulations. Much of the work in the vineyard is carried out manually, the grassing of the inter-row is practiced and, for the fight against powdery mildew and downy mildew, only copper (sometimes replaced by a preparation based on clay and horsetail) and sulphur are used. In the cellar it is allowed that the phases of vinification take place in the most natural way possible: spontaneous fermentations with indigenous yeasts, rejection of sulfur dioxide and filtrations almost non-existent, are just some of the measures adopted. Chianti Classico, for example, obtained from 100% Sangiovese grapes, after vinification and aging for two years in cement tanks, is bottled with a total amount of free SO2 less than 20 milligrams per liter.
The 2016 vintage has a ruby red color with some orange streaks, and a range of aromas that opens with notes of Ravenna cherry, pomegranate, red currant and vinyl, followed by blood orange, pot pourri and humus with concluding echoes of graphite and incense. The palate combines in an excellent way softness and freshness, with the sapid component that gradually makes its way accompanied by tannins still young and vibrant; all while come back the red fruits and spices that accompany the sip until a juicy and good length closure.
Rating: 88/100
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