Caparsa's history

Caparsa is a vineyard run by Paolo Cianferoni and his big family since 1982: Gianna, his precious partner full of energies, Federico that works in the marketing area, Filippo who's working in the cellar and vineyards, Fiamma  studying Agricolture in Siena, Flavio and Francesco the young ones still in school.

The vineyard was bought from Paolo's father Prof. Reginaldo Cianferoni in 1965 and he's the one that started to build the vine fields. Those old fields has been refurbished from Paolo since 1999 and they cover a surface of 28,10 acres.

The winery is totally organic certified, both in the fields and in the cellar. Sangiovese is the main grape in Caparsa, wich is located in Radda in Chianti area, maybe one of the most charming and beautiful areas in the world and one of the highest quality wines production areas too.

Caparsa wines have a unique and unmistakable acid tone, where the bouquet and the tannins come out at their authentic terroir. That's the reason Caparsa's wines have a very long life.

Caparsa's philosophy can be simplified in one single word: tradition. The wine culture is hand down since the sharecropping system, when the wine was considered like food and complementary to food. That's why the healthiness of all their productive processes and the wine itself is the best characteristic and expression of Caparsa's philosphy. Healthiness means quality.

Particularly, it's the territory that gives originality to all Caparsa's products: flora, fauna, insects, fungal, microorganisms, soils, weather conditions, fields exposure etc together with workers and Paolo himself, all of this make the wine unique.

Caparsa bottles about 45% of its production, and are the following wines:

• Chianti Classico Caparsino Riserva, obtained with 100% Sangiovese grape and aged in big oak vats of 18 Hl for one or two years.
• Chianti Classico Doccio a Matteo Riserva, obtained form a hand-selection of our best Sangiovese grape and Colorino grape (between 2% to 5%), and it's aged in small oak vats of 10 Hl for one or two years.
• Chianti Classico Caparsa, first bottling with the 2016 vintage, it is made with 100% Sangiovese mainly aged in cement vats.
• "Mimma" IGT (Supertuscan), Super Sangiovese selection of limited production. First vintage produced 2018
• “Rosso di Caparsa” IGT, the basic 'table wine', aged only in cement containers and made of 100% Sangiovese sometime of different vintage. No year on the label.
• “Bianco di Caparsino” IGT, white wine made of Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes: Tuscan fleavour!
• "Rosato di Caparsa" IGT, a very fresh and fruty 100% Sangiovese grapes!
• "Anfora di Caparsa" IGT, White wine macerated in Amphora, produced with Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes
• “Vin Santo del Chianti Classico di Caparsa”, a dessert wine made from the wither of Trebbiano, Malvasia and Canaiolo aged minimum 10 Years in small barrowls.

The 17th century cellar

In Caparsa, as it happened in most of the old Chianti houses, the cellar was built before everything, even befor the bedrooms..wine was, and is, an essential food for life.

Our cellar is dated back to 17th century and it's now the main entrance and the tasting room. Visits and tastings are possible all year (on reservation - price 45€/person).

Barrels

In many places and corner of Caparsa cellar you can see Vats of 1800 liters or 1000 liters or 500 liters. They are used to age Sangiovese wines slowly and patiently for more of 2 years.

In here it's aged the Chianti Classico Doccio a Matteo Riserva and Chianti Classico Caparsino Riserva

The Steel Containers Room

Steel is a modern material for the construction of comfortables containers and easy to use, but they are not excellent for a long conservation of the wines.

In Caparsa they are generally used for the assemblage of the wines before the bottling or for fast operations.

Fermentation and vinification

Concrete containers, have recently been reconsidered for their good insulation and other good things such as natural fermentation of the wine

In this part of the cellar is done the fermentation and the vinification of our Chianti Classico.

The Aging

The Aging Cellar in Caparsa is underground and it's more than 500 years old.

In the big 1800 lt barrels of Limousin oak is aged the Chianti Classico "Caparsino" Riserva, while in the small ones, 1000 or 500 lt of Allier, Slavonia, American or Hungary oak is aged the Chianti Classico "Doccio a Matteo" Riserva. Recently the cellar has been restored. The barrels will be working over the years with harmony.

Vineyards