Last December the Cantini\nBonacossi family, at their estate of
\nCapezzana, held a vertical of 6 vintages of its vinsanto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every year the company\norganizes a vertical show of one of their wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mother of this\nvinsanto, which is produced in Capezzana, is Benedetta Contini Bonacossi who\nfollows the vineyards and the cellar day after day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This vinsanto is world-famous despite the fact\nthat production is truly modest, generally speaking around 5000 bottles of\n0.375l. I had been waiting for a tasting of their vinsanto for a long time. For\nthis wine not all years are the same, in fact, there happens the year in which\nthe sweetness to the taste is very intense and the wine is very dense and sweet\nand the year in which the body is less dense and the freshness is more\nnoticeable. The flavor notes of chinotto and\/or tamarind are very important\nbecause they mitigate the sweetness which can sometimes be too evident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About thirty people were present at the tasting,\nincluding journalists, sommeliers and enthusiasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the tasting, as always, I was very\nfocused and I refrained from commenting on the wines, reserving the right to do\nso at the end. So it was and I spoke analytically about each wine, focusing on\nthe latest vintage, 2017 in which, at the end of my examination, I smelled\ncandied orange peel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Benedetta confirmed this statement of mine and\nspecified that when she smells the scent of candied orange peel in the wine in\nthe keg, it means that the wine should be bottled. This nectar is produced with\nTrebbiano and San Colombano grapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tasting was very significant like all\nverticals because it allows you to get to know the wine in its positive and\nnegative aspects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the tasting, a pleasant lunch followed\nduring which the Trebbiano 2023, the Villa di Capezzana Carmignano 2020, the\nTrefiano 2020, Ugo Contini Bonacossi 2019 were served, the latter with an\ninterminable flavor of violet, the Ghiaie della Furba 2021 with an intense\naroma and flavor of violet, in my opinion superior to the pleasant 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a pleasantly busy day. These events are\nunique for their pleasantness. What can we say about the Contini Bonacossi\nfamily, they are all pleasant and friendly people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My tasting notes of the vinsanto vertical\nfollow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CAPEZZANA <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n COUNT CONTINI BONACOSSI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO DI CAPEZZANA Riserva, 1985 vintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO CARMIGNANO D.O.C.G.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n bottles produced n. 4890<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the very rainy first\n3 months of the year (408mm), a fairly dry April followed, while rainfall\nreturned in May (92mm) and August (76mm).<\/p>\n\n\n\n A completely dry September\nand October allowed perfect ripening of the grapes given that the soil had no\nwater shortages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Light amber color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the olfactory stage,\naromas of wafers, dried white fig, straw, walnut husk, intense aromas of\nalmond, mint, carob, light aromas of medicinal herbs, peach leaf, dried\napricot, Coccoina glue (coconut and almond milk), piscialetto flower\n(dandelion), ending with memories of coffee grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the palate it has a\nmedium body and is quite dry, not opulent. Well balanced wine with freshness\ndominating the alcoholic mass. In the end you can feel a slight burning\nsensation in the upper gum. Its flavor persistence is long with a finish of\nchinotto and tamarind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (95\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CAPEZZANA <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n COUNT CONTINI BONACOSSI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO DI CAPEZZANA Riserva, 1996 vintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO CARMIGNANO D.O.C.G.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n bottles produced n. 7467<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fresh early spring with a slight delay in\nbudding, recovered during the flowering and fruit setting phase. The summer had\na regular trend, interrupted in mid-August with the arrival of the rains, which\nslowed down ripening. With the warm September, ripening was completed well, the\narrival of rain at the end of the month delayed the harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amber color with orange reflections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the beginning the sense of smell is a little\nclosed and then slowly opens up to aromas of Coccoina glue (coconut and almond\nmilk), straw, dried fig, mint, medicinal herbs, rubber, black pepper, nutmeg,\nintense almond and ending with hints of coffee grounds (it is the coffee powder\ncompacted after use).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Upon tasting it reveals a medium plus body (more\nthan that of the 1985), and has a flavor of chestnut honey, rubber, dried date\nand dried white fig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well balanced wine with the freshness that\ndominates, without second thoughts, the alcoholic mass. Its taste persistence\nis long with a finish of chinotto and intense tamarind. This pleasantly bitter\nnote dampens the sweet note of dried dates and dried figs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (97\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CAPEZZANA <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n COUNT CONTINI BONACOSSI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO DI CAPEZZANA Riserva, 2001 vintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO CARMIGNANO D.O.C.G.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n bottles produced n. 3980<\/p>\n\n\n\n The seasonal trend confirmed the trend of\nprevious years. A mild winter, with few cold days, was followed by an early\nspring, with a consequent early vegetative growth, accompanied by a few cold\ndays and sporadic frosts that caused only marginal damage. There was no\nshortage of rain in the first part of the year. A good reserve of humidity was\nthus created in the soil which allowed the plants to face the almost completely\ndry June – August period which characterized a particularly long and hot\nsummer. The grapes arrived perfectly healthy until the end of August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, abundant rain in early September\ncompletely compensated for the plants’ water shortages. 2001 was an exceptional\nyear for the overall quality of the grapes. The choice of Vinsanto began on\nSeptember 20th and continued until the first week of October, while the\npressing of the bunches was carried out on February 6th 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dark amber, brick coat, with orange edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The olfactory treasure chest is rich in aromas\namong which emerge medicinal herbs, split almond, dried white fig, dried\nchestnut, mint, medicine drawer, hints of black pepper, nutmeg, boiled chestnut\nwith dried wild fennel, hard barley candy, straw, hints of paint enamel to\nfinish with brushstrokes of honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the right level you can perceive a very\nstrong medium body, with a flavor of dried white fig and dried date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The freshness is not lacking, it is true that it\ncompletely envelops the alcoholic mass. Its taste persistence is very long with\na finish always of dry white fig and dried date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quite opulent but balanced wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I remember the 2000 was drier with less\nstructure and more freshness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (96\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CAPEZZANA <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n COUNT CONTINI BONACOSSI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO DI CAPEZZANA Riserva, 2007 vintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO CARMIGNANO D.O.C.G.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n bottles produced n. 5640<\/p>\n\n\n\n A mild winter with above average temperatures\nand below normal rainfall, with an average dry and warm spring which allowed\nrapid and uniform vegetative development. The summer climate was very\nfavourable, with great heat between June and July, with light rains after the\nsecond half of August which helped the grains to swell. A dry September which\nallowed for optimal ripening of the grapes. The selection of the Vinsanto\ngrapes began on September 23rd while the pressing took place on February 1st\n2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amber color – mahogany (it is lighter than\n2001). Multifaceted sense of smell with intense aromas of medicinal herbs,\nalmond and dried date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The olfactory journey continues with notes of\ncooked sugar, dried white fig, hints of acetic acid and tow soaked in wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When tasted it shows intense sweetness of dried\nwhite fig, dried date and wildflower honey. The body is medium, very\nstructured. Balanced wine with freshness that dominates the alcoholic mass. Its\ntaste persistence is long,<\/p>\n\n\n\n A very sweet wine that would have needed more\nfreshness to loosen the density and a final note of chestnut honey that would\nloosen its sweetness a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (It’s thicker and sweeter than the 2001)<\/p>\n\n\n\n (94\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CAPEZZANA <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n COUNT CONTINI BONACOSSI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO DI CAPEZZANA Riserva, 2013 vintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO CARMIGNANO D.O.C.G.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n bottles produced n. 5256<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the winter and early spring, we had an\nabundance of rain, but as May arrived the weather changed to a warm, dry\nspring. The vegetative development phase was very good, but veraison arrived\nrather late and led to a later than average start to the harvest. The selection\nof Trebbiano and San Colombano grapes for Vin Santo began on 23 September, in\nline with previous years. The drying lasted until February 10, 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fairly light amber color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scents of almond, medicinal herbs, almond shell,\nthousand flower honey, dried fig to finish with puffs of old wood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mouth with flavor of cherry in spirit, thousand\nflower honey and almond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The body is medium, dense but less than that of\n2007. The freshness makes the wine balanced, without perceiving the alcoholic\nmass. Its taste persistence is long with a chinotto finish and light tamarind\nand a very almond finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (96\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CAPEZZANA <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n COUNT CONTINI BONACOSSI<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO DI CAPEZZANA Riserva, 2017 vintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n VINSANTO CARMIGNANO D.O.C.G.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n bottles produced n. 5008<\/p>\n\n\n\n A vintage whose key element is extreme\nmeteorological variability. Mild winter with irregular rainfall which allowed\nan early vegetative start. Late frosts in the lower vineyards between April\n20th and 21st. A hot and very dry spring, a climate that continued throughout\nthe summer, one of the driest and hottest ever. The yields were very low but\noverall a year characterized by full and rich wines, with incredible power,\nstructure and length. The selection of the bunches for Vin Santo began early on\n12 September and also due to the large concentration on the vine, the drying\nended on 22 December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The glass shows amber color with mahogany\nreflections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the nose it expresses intense aromas of\nwafers followed by chinotto, tamarind, iodine, mint, almond shell, tow,\nhydrolytin (powder to make natural water carbonated) to finish with whispers of\ncandied orange peel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When tasted, it has a medium body and is denser\nthan the 2011 and 2007. The freshness is overwhelming, overflowing and makes\nthe alcoholic mass completely harmless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Initial almond flavour. Its flavor persistence\nis long with a finish of chinotto and light tamarind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nice wine, pleasant with a very long future\nthanks to its rich freshness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (98\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last December the Cantini Bonacossi family, at their estate of Capezzana, held a vertical of 6 vintages of its vinsanto. Every year the company organizes a vertical show of one of their wines. The mother of this vinsanto, which is produced in Capezzana, is Benedetta Contini Bonacossi who follows the vineyards and the cellar day […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15783,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[734,401],"class_list":["post-15802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized","tag-capezzana-vin-santo","tag-paolo-baracchino-2","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DA-SINISTRA-BENEDETTA-ETTORE-E-BEATRICE-CONTINI-BONACOSSI-2.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pav13q-46S","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15802"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15804,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15802\/revisions\/15804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}