PRODUCTION PHILOSOPHY

OUR PRODUCTION PHILOSOPHY

We are fortunate to be assisted by the advice of the famous winemaker Attilio Pagli. Attilio has been honored to be included in the list of the best wine producers in the world, according to the judgment of his colleagues, in an article in Decanter Magazine.

To quote Attilio, “the most important thing is the vineyard: it is what gives vision and continuity. And that is why understanding and respecting the terroir is the most important attribute for anyone who wants to make a great wine. The wine must be a testimonial of its origins and its connection with its terroir, which is the sum of the climate, the soil, the people and the culture of a given territory”.

“The vines have unique personalities and each one must be interpreted differently. My job is to interfere as little as possible in the raw materials that nature offers me, bottling as much of the fruit’s potential as possible.”

Attilio’s vision is in perfect harmony with the values of the Tenuta Cappellina team, which is committed to cultivating vineyards in perfect balance. An even distribution of fruit on each vine and each vineyard does not happen by chance.

We sow between the rows where we see too much vigour to reduce the energy of the plants and, vice versa, we plant legumes such as field beans, which can be reintroduced into the soil to add nitrogen as a natural fertilizer.

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION

We are proud to have our European Organic Wine Certification on our labels, in recognition of our commitment to growing grapes without the use of artificial chemicals, synthetic chemicals, herbicides or pesticides. We only use low levels of copper and sulphur permitted in organic farming, and only when intervention is necessary. These are applied to the surface of the plants and washed away by rain, to protect the fruit from egg-laying insects and mould, unlike chemical pesticides which are absorbed by the plant – and end up in your wine!

IN PRAISE OF SANGIOVESE

We are great admirers of the Sangiovese grape variety that is the basis of the great wines of Chianti Classico. While the Consortium rules require a minimum of 80% Sangiovese in a Chianti Classico, we are traditionalists at heart, and prefer to use 100%, or at most add a very small quantity of Canaiolo, another ancient Tuscan grape variety.

WOOD OR NOT WOOD

While it is common to see wines aged in small French oak barrels at wineries, this method of softening tannins can often reduce the fruitiness and freshness of the wine. There is no right or wrong way to age wines, but our preference is to work to soften tannins in the vineyard through careful cultivation, and utilize the ancient wisdom of time.

By aging the wines in large barrels, or botti, there is less contact of the oak on the wines, and therefore the wines take longer to refine. But this method is more faithful to the traditions of Italian winemaking and gives us the distinctive flavorus of the wines of Tenuta Cappellina, or as Attilio would say, “putting as much of the potential of the fruit as possible into the bottle.”