Capannelle Solare 2014 Toscana IGT: Heavy on the French Oak, Heavy on the Flavor
Capannelle Solare 2014 Toscana IGT is a good red wine, a docile nectar that responded modestly to a massive 18-month aging in French oak to find concentration and gooey softness, muscles, and lots of pulp. It’s not a wine to frame and bring as an example of the Gaiole in Chianti terroir, where minerality and finesse are cornerstones and traits of a vinous genome, but it has its charm.Instead of elegance and subtlety, you will find vehemence and swelling, fruit dripping with tar and wood, jam, and spices.
We are not at Caprai’s level, but philosophically speaking, we are close.
The problem with the wines of the Capannelle winery is that they are born as pure products destined for the world market. The wines are alluring and muscular, the way Americans like them. The density can be cut with a chainsaw, the fruit is so ripe that it makes you faint, and the syrupy and vanilla tones are whips that slap the olfactory receptors, invading them with avalanches of aromatic arrogance.
Let’s not talk about the farmhouse-wine resort marketing hoax in the heart of Chiantishire, the cellar that oscillates between high tech and brick, the collaborations with Pinchiorri, and the starred chefs who compete to boil the green beans in the Capannelle kitchens. They are definitely all too worldly and alluring. But this is only a personal consideration, a resurgence of worldliness, if they manage to sell them the dream of a good Chianti.
We come to the wine—the house wine produced since 1975. Its quality is undeniable. The charm and texture are palpable; what annoys is the heaviness of the wood and the passivity with which the wine has absorbed the wood, ruining the spontaneity of the vine.
How it is produced
Vineyards in Gaiole, in Chianti, are surrounded by olive trees, brooms, and stretches of wood. The glance is spectacular. Vinification in wooden vats, then aging for a year and a half in French oak barrels
Organoleptic characteristics
Ruby colour. Perturbing nose, full of flowers and aromatic memories, ripe, overcooked, dried, and minced fruit Plum fists to punch you in the face.dark earthy tones, syrupy berries, and eucalyptus tones. Green stroke that is tamed but pleasant.The problem is the fake and dusty frame given by the barrique that surrounds it. It masks and smoothes out any desire for momentum and depth, seasoning with “fragrances” of wood, vanilla, and tobacco.Sin.
On the palate, it has grit and vigorous but tame tannins. Good acidity, a savory boost, development, and articulation are not lacking, and there is a good depth given by the complex and earthy flavor of the tannins, well balanced by the acidity.
Mature is mature, but not particularly fat or awkward, at the expense of a nose that seemed runny. It is ethereal and balsamic, evolved, and enjoyable for its roundness, but it never stops biting.
At times, it is a paradoxical wine. The nose is unpleasant and has an elephantine weight to it, but when you taste it, it’s like an explosion, a game of shadows and light that is always changing. The structure is big, but not too big, and the mouthfeel is great, even though the tannic texture is more prominent than it should be in the taste picture.
It is not the usual nervous and mocking Sangiovese, but neither is it a flattering and pimping black tea in the Tignanello style. It is worth tasting it on site, just for the beauty of the cellar and tasting room.
Price
65 euros: if you like the genre, you can also buy it. After all, it is a wine with excellent aging potential; you can drink it even in 30 years. maturity in 6-7 years.
