Capraia selection

Capraia represents a selection of fine grapes from the historic Castellina in Chianti area.

A selection which for decades has been strictly separated, both in in terms of wine-making and aging, from other Rocca di Castagnoli productions.

This exciting project stems from our desire to promote the enormous diversity that comes from the different historic Chianti Classico production municipalities, originally represented only by Gaiole, Radda and Castellina.

In other words we can claim to have anticipated the current Chianti zoning, now known as Additional Goegraphic Units (UGA), by discerning as far back as 1988, a profound diversity between the terrior of Castellina and that of Gaiole.In this case, tasting the Selezione Capraia you can note the peculiar characteristics that distinguish Gaiole wines from Castellina wines.

This product diversity compared to the other municipalities of the Chianti Classico area, can be traced back to different pedoclimatic factors that can be summarized as follows:

• Terrain: Tuffaceous sands alternate with classic clay soils that are very generous in quality and quantity.
• Exposure: South-west facing.
• Climate: Warmer temperatures for the summer with ample ventilation.

The following characteristics allow the Capraia wines to maintain – staying faithful to their terroir of origin – a great structure, remaining very sunny and warm with soft, sweet tannins that make them very pleasurable to drink without ever losing their longevity and power.

In 2018 we also purchased new hectares of vineyards in the Pietrafitta area, whose very high quality production is entirely dedicated to Chianti Classico selections such as Riserva and Gran Selezione Effe'55.

One of the most important reasons why we decided to move part of the production, that dedicated to selections, can be traced back to climate changes that are making it difficult to maintain optimal temperatures and humidity in low-lying soils.

For this reason, we purchased some vineyards at a higher altitude, 500 meters, also in Castellina, precisely in the Pietrafitta area, preferring to move the production of our Capraia selections, both for the Riserva and the Gran Selezione Effe'55, to a highly vocated terrior, with a slightly cooler and ventilated microclimate that allows us to preserve phenological ripening and protect the grapes from the long periods of increasingly frequent summer heat.