Caiarossa, situated on the Tuscan coast in the Val di Cecina, lies in

Indicazione Geografica Tipica di Toscana
Caiarossa, situated on the Tuscan coast in the Val di Cecina, lies in an area
area of silent natural beauty surrounded by its vineyards. The estate is planted to
a spectrum of varieties from which four wines are produced: Caiarossa, the
principal wine in which Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese usually constitute
the majority of the blend; Pergolaia, dominated by Sangiovese; Caiarossa Bianco,
blended from Chardonnay, Viognier and a small percentage of Petit Manseng; and
Oro di Caiarossa, a late harvest white blend. This palette of varieties yields
complex, vibrant wines that express the estate's ancient, diverse terroirs.
Caiarossa Bianco is a unique blend of Chardonnay, native to
Burgundy; Viogner, the white variety of Condrieu in the northern Rhône; and
Petit Manseng, from the Jurançon near Gascony. Vines are planted in small plots
on calcium clay and ferric sand soils with high pebble content. This exotically
floral wine beautifully balances the aromatic intensity of Viognier and Petit
Manseng with the acidic structure of Petit Manseng and Chardonnay.
Vineyard soils are primarily ferrous sand and gravel at the higher eleva-
tions evolving to chalky clay at the lower. Summer and autumn are hot and dry;
most rainfall occurs during spring and winter moderated by maritime influences.
Sangiovese and the Bordelais varieties account collectively for 85 percent of
plantings. Planted in 1999, the vineyard is sustained biodynamically; the soil is
worked intensively, tractors are small and ultra-light and treatments are limited to
low dosages of copper and sulfur, with infusions of nettle, willow, chamomile
and horsetail.
After a hand harvest and sorting, the white grapes are gently
whole-cluster pressed for up to eight hours. The must is then transferred to
French oak barriques, tonneaux and stainless steel tanks for fermentation with
indigenous yeasts for two to three months. Partial or full malolactic fermentation
follows. Bâtonnages are carried out one to three times weekly until April of the
following year. Aging in barriques and tonneaux of various passes takes place
until the wine is bottled in August.
The 2009—2010 winter was very rainy and cool temperatures persisting through March and April led to a late budding. A rainy May disrupted
flowering, reducing eventual yield. Normal summer temperatures failed to
compensate for the season's early delay, resulting in a harvest seven to ten days
later than usual, at the end of August. The gradual maturation delivered heightened aromas and better balance between sugar and acidity in this vintage.
Yield: 35 hl/ha
Alcohol: 14%
Bottles: 2,300
Blend: 50% Chardonnay
and 50% Viognier
Imported by Wade & Clark Wine Imports, Hawthorne, New York
Firenze
ARNO
Pisa
TUSCANY
Livorno
Castiglioncello
Marina
di Cecina
San Vincenzo
Castagneto Carducci
San Gimignano
Riparbella
Caiarossa
UPPER MAREMMA
Bolgheri
Suvereto
CENTRAL MAREMMA
Castiglione della Pescaia
In 2004, Eric Albada Jelgersma acquired the Caiarossa estate, at
one time known as the Podere Serra all'Olio. Entrepreneur and owner of châteux
Giscours and du Tertre in Margaux, his vision was to create an oasis in this
timeless, luxuriant landscape, the qualities of which were uniquely suited to
crafting unusual and distinctive wines of the highest quality. The iron-rich red
gravel, clay and pebbled terrain of the estate is reflected in its name, and the
image of Dionysus, taken from a fourth century B.C. Etruscan sculpture found in
nearby Volterra, suggests the synthesis of this ancient Tuscan terroir and its wines.
Roughly six miles from the Tyrrhenian coast, Caiarossa extends over
175 acres of which forty are planted to a mosaic of vineyard plots. Aside from a
century-old grove of olive trees on a north-facing crest of the estate, the rest of the
property is untouched woods and forest. The land rises gently from 450 to 900
feet above sea level with a westerly and southerly exposure, capturing superb
afternoon illumination as well as cooling Mediterranean breezes. Based on close
analysis of the estate's very complex geology, twelve vineyard blocks were
planted to eleven different vine varieties. Sangoivese occupies stony clay soils
high in oxidized iron, Merlot those high in clay and Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot the gravelly areas at the higher elevations. Smaller
plots of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache account for the last fifteen percent of red
plantings. White plantings comprise Chardonnay, Viognier and Petit Manseng.
Vineyard cultivation is carried out biodynamically with natural
composts and infusions applied according to the lunar and planetary cycles to
preserve the estate's pristine environment and nurture development of exceptionally healthy vines whose fruit reflects their vitality and balance. Vines are
planted at a very high density of 3,662 vines per acre, cordon trained and spur
pruned. A first sorting and harvest are carried out manually in tries, and the
cellars, designed according to Feng Shui discipline, allow the fruit to be moved
exclusively by gravity throughout the vinification process. Following a second
sorting on arrival at the cellar, all varieties and lots are fermented separately,
entirely with indigenous yeasts in a variety of oak cooperage or tank.
Director of Oenology Dominique Genot began his career in
Burgundy, followed by experience in the Napa Valley, New Zealand and
Bordeaux. He is supported by Cellar Master Marco Lipparini and Vineyard
Manager Franco Ndrevataj. Oenologist Andrea Paoletti contributes an invaluable
depth and breadth of experience with several notable estates in the maremma to
his consultancy for Caiarossa. General Manager Alexander Van Beek directs
operations not only at Caiarossa, but also at Giscours and du Tertre.
Imported by Wade & Clark Wine Imports, Hawthorne, New York