2011 Capezzana Carmignano Conte Contini Bonacossi DOCG is sold out.

Sign up to receive notifications when wines from this producer become available

Wine Bottle
  • 93 pts James Suckling
    93 pts JS
  • 92 pts Vinous
    92 pts Vinous
  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

2011 Capezzana Carmignano Conte Contini Bonacossi DOCG 750 ml

Sold Out

Sign up to receive notifications when wines from this producer become available.
  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

The Dive Across the Finish...

We’d heard all about Villa di Capezzana Carmignano from our sommelier buddies in NYC, long before our first sip of the first TRUE Super Tuscan at the Verona wine fair a few years ago. So, when we arrived right on time, at 10:00 a.m., for what we hoped to be a private tasting at the Capezzana stand, we were surprised to find a line had formed. It seemed that word of Capezzana’s staggering 2008s had reached further than Central Park. And while we may not have bolstered any friendships, we elbowed and dove our way past our somm friends to the front of line.

So, what’s all the fuss over Carmignano? Even China, for all their obsession with First Growth Bordeaux and Brunello, is catching on, and is now the second largest import market for Bonacossi Capezzana wines. The key lies in Carmignano’s unique microclimate. The Apennine Mountains that run along the border of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna act as a thermal buffer for the region, protecting Capezzana’s manicured hillsides from the elements. While days there are cooler than Chianti Classico or Montalcino, nights are warmer, making Carmignano ideal for growing rich, broad-shouldered Cabernet Sauvignon.

But if Chianti Classico and Brunello flourish in warm vintages — and 2011 was undoubtedly warm, if not downright hot — some untimely heat spikes in those regions ultimately resulted in wines lacking freshness and verve. On the other hand, the Capezzana estate vineyards flourished in a lengthy growing season. With Carmignano being slightly cooler, the heat spikes that impacted surrounding appellations (what Jancis Robinson calls the “stop-go” effect, grapevines shut down in too much heat, and re-ignite as it cools) weren’t an issue for Bonacossi.

The 2011 Carmignano Villa di Capezzana deftly walks the tightrope between modern and Old World style. It doesn’t suffer from the barnyard notes so prevalent in Italian wines from cellars that haven’t been upgraded, nor is it uber-ripe with super-sweet fruit. Antonio Galloni, the world’s most revered Italian wine expert, raved about its “compelling” purity. “The 2011 Carmignano Villa di Capezzana is round, open-knit and expressive,” Galloni wrote, “with plenty of depth and resonance.”

In the end, our dive at VinItaly was well worth it. This 93-point stunner is proof enough. $36 on release. Only $21.99 today, EXCLUSIVELY on WineAccess.