Caiarossa has been making unique wines since the early 2000s, but it wasn’t until Dutch entrepreneur Eric Albada Jelgersma bought the estate in 2004 that it started making world-class bottles. The businessman also owns Bordeaux’s Château Giscours and Château du Tertre.
Located in Val di Cecina on the Tuscan coast, the vineyard covers 16 hectares, where a total of 11 grape varieties are planted. According to the winery, each grape is planted based on the soil type that suits it best. All are biodynamically grown. The area is about a half an hour’s drive north from the legendary region of Bolgheri, home of such top wines as Sassicaia and Masseto, but a little farther inland.
The winery has two major labels of reds – Pergolaia and its eponymous Caiarossa – with the second being the predominant one.
The top wine of Caiarossa is indeed a 2009 Caiarossa Toscana, a fascinating blend of eight grape varietals namely, sangiovese, cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, alicante, petit verdot, syrah and mourvedre. Made from biodynamically grown grapes, the 2009 is the best ever, with fabulous depth of fruit and refined structure. It was immediately hailed by the winery’s director and enologist Dominique Genot as “one of the best vintages” that it has ever made.
I think of the wines of Caiarossa as one of my “go-to” Tuscan reds becuase of their drinkablility and complexity. And I love that they are made from biodynamic grapes as well.
In this vertical tasting report, we selected five vintages from 2006 to 2010. Each is scored more than 90 points. And expect to see even greater wines in the future from this superb wine property.
Below are the wines; click for tasting notes and scores:
