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B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
The stunning 96 pt. 2019 Caiarossa is an artful, elegant Super Tuscan blend balancing fresh layered dark fruit and refined, smooth tannins with powerful structure, showing “impressive depth and textural richness” according to the Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner from a "gem of an estate," available in limited quantities and a sure bet for lovers of bold Italian reds at value pricing.
Located a few miles north of coastal Bolgheri in the Cecina River Valley, the Caiarossa estate boasts a hilly terrain covered with the brilliant red or “rossa” gravelly soil for which it is named, enjoying a steady rise in quality since its purchase in 2004 by Dutch businessman Eric Albada Jelgersma, also owner of Château du Tertre and Château Giscours in Margaux. Divided into distinct parcels and located at around 600 meters of altitude, Caiarossa’s 31 hectares of vines are spread across three sites on the wooded 70 hectare estate, planted with eight different red varietals including Bordeaux grapes Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, Rhone’s Syrah, Grenache (Alicante), and Mourvedre, and Tuscany’s native Sangiovese, all farmed biodynamically. Changing the blend according to the vintage while maintaining a consistent style, each varietal for the 2019 Caiarossa was fermented separately with indigenous yeasts before blending, then aged for 14 months in barriques, about a third new, with 6 months more in concrete tanks before bottling, yielding a balanced combination of “drinkability and complexity” that makes Caiarossa one of critic James Suckling’s “go to” Tuscan reds.
In an excellent Tuscany vintage producing wines of “consistently high quality” according to the Wine Spectator’s Bruce Sanderson, the outstanding 96 pt. 2019 Caiarossa is at the top of its game, an elegant Italian red blend with subtle, integrated power and long-lived tannic structure, standing shoulder to shoulder with its Super Tuscan competitors and ready to enjoy for over a decade for a fraction of the price |
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The 2020 Caiarossa is the best wine I have tasted off this property in some time, perhaps ever. Rich, deep and yet not at all heavy, the 2020 offers up an exotic mélange of dark cherry/plum fruit, mocha, licorice, new leather and incense. All the elements are so nicely balanced.
95 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Aug 2023)
This is aromatic with dried cherries and plum skins as well as spiced chocolate, lilacs, walnut shell and nutmeg. Some wet stones, too. It’s full, structured and wide on the palate with super-fine tannins. It’s powerful but not heavy with freshness and crunchiness. Shows intensity and richness. Give it time. Made from biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Try from 2026.
95 points, James Suckling (May 2023)
Combines the structure of the Bordeaux varieties and the generous welcome of Tuscany, here translating into dark fruits that soften to delicious toasted spices, and plenty of liqourice, cloves, incense and underbrush. This was the warmest vintage since 1800, with harvest from the end of August until September 22, but the concentration of the vintage is mitigated by plenty of acidity. Excellent structure, and it's a thoroughly enjoyable, precise and well made wine, with a kick of eucaplyptus freshness on the finish, along with fragrant spices. Jerome Poisson winemaker, 31ha of vines, owned by AJ Domaines. 30% new oak. Axel Marchal consultant. Vinified in a mix of concrete and wooden tanks, then barrel ageing followed by a year in bottle before release.
94 points, Jane Anson (Aug 2023)
Offers a combination of black currant, blackberry and loam flavors, with flourishes of iron and tobacco backed by dense tannins, which leave a burr on the finish. Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot and Grenache. Best from 2026 through 2040.
93 points, Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator (Oct 2023)