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B-21 Top Recommendation Read More
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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This is extremely perfumed with violets, sage, lavender, currants and berries. Fresh and vivid. Medium-to full-bodied with super refined tannins and fruit. So subtle and refined. This is really long and gorgeous. Goes on for minutes. A change in style from past vintages and I like it. 30% syrah, 30% cabernet franc, 16% cabernet sauvignon, 12% merlot 7% petit verdot and 5% sangiovese. From organically grown grapes. So hard not to drink now, but better after 2023.
96 points, James Suckling (Aug 2021)
Tasted as an unfinished sample, the Caiarossa 2018 Caiarossa offers great insight into the forward-looking trajectory and the solid quality record of this gem of an estate on the Tuscan Coast. This is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Alicante, with the saturated and dark fruit aromas of the Cabernet grapes in pole position. A deep core of black fruit is backed by exotic spice, tar and sweet licorice at the back. The finest work here is to the tannins, which (like in the preview 2019 sample I also tasted) remain very smooth and taut, giving the wine an elegant but determined backbone.
95 points, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (Jan 2021)
Intense fruit flavors of blackberry, black currant, black cherry and spicy oak are the hallmarks of this red, which is balanced and well-integrated, fresh and long, but just needs two to three years to unwind. Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese and Alicante. Best from 2023 through 2043. 3,400 cases made, 1,100 cases imported.
95 points, Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator (Oct 2021)