On a few separate occasions early in 2019 I have had the opportunity to taste the Chianti Classico and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano sangiovese of Tuscany’s Carpineto winery.  Carpineto Appodati comprises five Tuscan estates; Dudda and Gaville (Greve in Chianti), Montepulciano, Montalcino and Gavorrano (Maremma). No less than 28 different wines are produced off of the five properties and while Dudda in the Chianti Classico appellation is the epicentre of the operation it is the storied Vino Nobile sangiovese from Montepulciano that have garnered the most international accolades.

Related – A traditional afternoon with the wines of Carpineto

During February’s Anteprime di Toscana Chianti Classico Collection in Firenze I had the pleasure of having dinner with proprietor Antonio Zaccheo Jr. and the most recent sit-down happened when Zaccheo came to Toronto on April 16th. A group sat down to lunch with Antonio and tasted through an eye-opening vertical that included Vino Nobile going back to 1990. Here are my notes on 12 recent assessments.

Carpineto Chianti Classico DOCG 2015, Tuscany, Italy (356048, $19.95, WineAlign)

Rich and unctuous Greve in Chianti Annata with classic savour and raging acidity. Still in tense command and not ready to uproot to advance any time soon. Cool, minty and understood. Much improved since first tasting this 26 months prior or more likely a case a not perfectly sound first bottle. Improved score as a result. Drink 2019-2023.  Last tasted April 2019

Carpineto’s is no shrinking 2015 sangiovese violet with its extracted fruit, soil funk and carob-chewy flavour. After a year further in bottle the extremities are exposed so that secondary notes are emerging, in tempered chocolate, funghi and dried leather. It’s more evolved than expected and while curious it shows the complexity of Greve in Chianti soil. Drink 2018-2019.  Tasted February 2018

Carpineto Chianti Classico DOCG 2016, Tuscany, Italy (356048, $19.95, WineAlign)

Much further along the road to expression is the way I’d have to announce the immediacy from Carpineto’s quick to gratify Annata ’16. The fruit aches to be pounced upon and used as quickly as you can make this happen. And yet there is a moment of microbial grounding to keep it honest and traditional. In the end it’s a really full and gregarious expression for sangiovese with true red limestone liquidity. Drink 2018-2021.  Tasted February 2018

Carpineto Chianti Classico DOCG 2017, Tuscany, Italy (356048, $19.95, WineAlign)

Tough reductive nut to crack though a swirl, some agitation and air releases some classic Greve in Chianti Carpineto aromatics. Chewy sangiovese, after that initial rock solid wall broken through and full of rendered fruit, some leathery, very cherry and quick to speak. Such a mouthful with bones and a verdant streak run right through. Drink 2019-2022.  Tasted February 2019

Carpineto Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG 2015, Tuscany, Italy (WineAlign)

Packed in suitcase from Greve by Antonio M. Zaccheo for this Toronto tasting. True to the Carpineto, Greve in Chianti, Classico style in that there is no real departure in stretch to the Gran Selezione, at least in terms of a thickening to syrup or shaken consistency. The cool, minty, dusty, high-toned and big red fruit personality are on headlights display, front, centre and all in. Here is the highest quality acidity that ’15 can gift and the fruit takes full advantage. Great cupboard spice and length. Really well done. Drink 2021-2028.  Tasted April 2019

Carpineto Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano Riserva DOCG 2015, Tuscany, Italy (368910, $32.95, WineAlign)

True to character for sangiovese exclusive to Vino Nobile, dusty, high-toned, dark fruited and also to Carpineto. More than the average amount of hectares bring a healthy dollop of the syrupy fruit, especially and in waves. The clone of prugnolo gentile is traditional to the estate for the appellation, incidentally Italy’s first in terms of red wine. And yes the prune quality is inherent here, with freshness by fruit off of young vines. More fruit abounds than Montepulciano is readily willing to gift and it seems two great things will happen. Consumers will enjoy this now and those with modest cellars can look to 2022 and maybe beyond for another credible layer of pleasure. Drink 2019-2024. Tasted April 2019

Carpineto Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano Riserva DOCG 2013, Tuscany, Italy (368910, $32.95, WineAlign)

The development in the 2013 Vino Nobile is multiple for reasons obvious and also obfuscating. The cool and demanding vintage adds dusty tension while extract brings more grip and power. What’s less obvious is the earthiness that crusts through and over dried fruit because of a vintage that simply can’t run away and hide. A characterful wine here, complex and a bit feral but still connected to its primary fruit, though not for long. Drink 2019-2022.  Tasted April 2019

Carpineto Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano Riserva DOCG 2012, Tuscany, Italy (368910, WineAlign)

The 2012 has passed over into next epoch territory, found initially with balsamico on the nose. The strong, grip gifting vintage brings the tension and the depth with darker fruit and some brooding personality. What ’12 also delivers and still does so with notable tonality is acidity. Fine Montepulciano, wind-ushered and assisted acidity. Further proof that this will live longer than 2013.  Last tasted April 2019

There is no missing the amount of big, old and sheathing barrel in the Carpineto ’12 Riserva but there too is no mistaking the Vino Nobile style. There is a lot of structure in such a handling and rendering, from a vintage with maximum fruit that can handle this sort of big-time wood addendum. That is because acidity, sapidity and edgy volatility work in cohorts, not in ante-productivity. This will age into umami, funghi and figgy-balsamic bliss over a 10-plus year period. Drink 2017-2025.  Tasted October 2017

Carpineto Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano Riserva DOCG 2011, Tuscany, Italy (368910, WineAlign)

It’s more than merely interesting to taste this in a flight with ’12-’15. It’s both as evolved or more but also deeper in tones, just as grippy as ’12 and perhaps even tighter, finer and further into structure. All the parts moving or otherwise are accentuated and exaggerated, not the least of which are the toasty earth and the aforementioned architecture. This will dive deep into the old school, mushroom and umami well. Drink 2019-2023.  Tasted April 2019

Carpineto Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano Riserva DOCG 2010, Tuscany, Italy (368910, WineAlign)

Still amazingly youthful with what was clearly some of this estate’s best prugnolo gentile fruit of all time. Secondary character is but a whisper or a faint idea though the umami hints are always in the conversation. Just a terrific execution from this great vintage. Great complexity developed over the past three years warrants an extra bit of scoring love. Drink 2019-2024.  Last tasted April 2019

Carpineto’s Riservas travel to such gossamer and spiritual territory, taking the normale freshness and turning it into plausible hyperbole. The soil is inherent and complicated into the big star Nobile’s soul. Liquorice and tobacco, purity and sangiovese classicism. Oh, my soul “we’re going to get on up and drink till we drop.” Drink 2017-2021.  Tasted May 2016

Carpineto Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano Riserva DOCG 2007, Tuscany, Italy (368910, WineAlign)

Impressive in the way this Vino Nobile is hanging in early secondary character development, still showing more fruit, albeit into the prune but not far along in terms of mushroom, tar and forest floor. A bit scorched but that was the vintage and even more reason to appreciate the slow movement and the length.  Last tasted April 2019

Carpineto’s Vino Nobile hails from further inland, where the climate is more continental and the dry-farmed clay soils help carry the grapes through warm summers like 2007. Has an intense grapey, raisin and resin character. Really big fruit yet still old school enough to remind us all of the Carpineto oeuvre. This has stuffing, with nary an advancing moment towards a premature future. Blessed with a seamless nose to palate to tannins structure. This is really fine Vino Nobile, “scelto,” a chosen mocker. It’s thick and full but not from oak in any shaken or splintered way. This Prugnolo Gentile comes by its substance naturally, with minimal effort or need of applause.  Tasted September 2014

Carpineto Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano DOCG 1995, Tuscany, Italy (WineAlign)

The 1995 is immediately notable for being the most floral of all the Carpineto Vino Nobile and that’s saying something in a vertical that includes ’15, ’13, 12’ 11, 10, ’07 and ’90. It’s also blessed with the most acidity of them all. That said there is more earthy character down low and volatile-acetic personality up high. The violets, ultra-violet light and string violin musicality make for a tension filled journey through sangiovese in the clonal hands of prugno gentile that is anything but when you take the two words at their endemic and etymological sources. Neither prune nor gentle but something completely off the charts. What kills it in the end is texture, ahead of the curve and in charge. Drink 2019-2022.  Tasted April 2019

Carpineto Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano DOCG 1990, Tuscany, Italy (WineAlign)

The impossibility of three decades grace comes out of Carpineto’s 1990, still youthfully dark and brooding, kept in place with all three eras intact; primary, secondary and tertiary all play together in this Montepulciano sandbox. Plums beget prunes, begetting raisins and then dug into the funghi and truffle of the earth. It’s a porcini bend but also a tartufo shaved over red wine soaked risotto, starchy, creamy and silky smooth. Acidity still rules and if I were to compare this to the 1988 tasted in Montepulciano in 2017 I’d say this is easily five or perhaps even 10 years behind in its development. Hard to imagine a vintage getting better than this. I’d say 2010 and 2015 are closest. Drink 2019-2021.  Tasted April 2019

Good to go!

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