Valdipiatta
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U.S. Importer (add'l info)
Established in 1973 by Giulio Caporali, the winery is today run by his daughter Miriam who, in few years, has achieved important and excellent results with her wines
Those of Montepulciano are among the most ancient wines of Italy known today and which arrived up to nowadays. These wines are mentioned for the first time in 789, in a document of the churchman Arnipert with which he donates to the church of Saint Silvester in Lanciniano sull'Amiata - in the province of Siena - a vineyard of the Policiano castle. Mentions of Vino of Montepulciano are also found in other documents of later years, however its real consecration will arrive in 1549, when Sante Lancerio, wine adviser of Pope Paolo III, by mentioning this wine defined it as truly perfect wine, worth of gentlemen. The road to “nobility” begins in 1685, when Francesco Redi - doctor, naturalist and lettered from Arezzo - expressed his appreciation for this wine in his dithyramb Bacco in Toscana (Bacchus in Tuscany) by ending it with the verse “Montepulciano d'ogni vino è Re” (Montepulciano is the king of all wines). King, but not noble yet. The wine of Montepulciano will become for the first time noble in 1787, when in a bill of Giovan Filippo Neri - Governor of Royal Retreat of San Girolamo - the renowned wine was defined and described with the adjective “nobile”, that is, noble.
The nobility of Vino di Montepulciano is intact still today and certainly increased, through the excellent results obtained by many producers, among them, Tenuta Valdipiatta. Established in 1973, the new course of Tenuta Valdipiatta begins at the end of 1980s, when Giulio Caporali, animated by his passion for land and wine, decides to acquire an old farmhouse and some hectares of vineyards in the hills that from Montepulciano degrade towards Valdichiana. He then decides to completely dedicate himself to the restoration of the vineyards and cellar, convinced of the need of renewing and modernizing the estate. He then proceeds with the expanding of the cellar dug in the tuff of a hill, destined to the aging of wines, as well as building a new cellar destined to the procedures of production and wine making. Besides the historical vineyards of Bossona and Sanguineto - considered among the best “cru” for Vino Nobile - are also acquired two vineyards at Ciarliana and Banditella, in which were already cultivated Sangiovese and Canaiolo Nero varieties.
Tenuta Valdipiatta also decides the cultivation of “international” varieties, by planting in these new vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, although keeping its primary interest for the production of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. All the vineyards have been renewed in the first years of 1990s, with the exception of the two crus “Sanguineto” and “Vigna d'Alfiero”, both planted in the beginning of 1970s. From “Vigna d'Alfiero” will be created in 1999 the most prestigious Tenuta Valdipiatta's Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and which is named after Alfiero Carpini, the first cellar master of the estate, who in 1968 planted in this vineyard Sangiovese Grosso - known in Montepulciano as Prugnolo Gentile - and from which it is being produced the homonymous wine in limited quantities. The production of “Vigna d'Alfiero” follows very strict methods, including a low yield per hectare - lesser than 40 quintals - followed by a scrupulous selection of the best grapes. The wine is then allowed to age in cask for at least two years.
Since 2004, Tenuta Valdipiatta is run by Miriam Caporali - Giulio's daughter - who in her grace and kindness, reveals an entrepreneurial dynamic attitude as well as clear ideas about the future of the winery. From 1997 to 2002, Miriam Caporali works with her father in the management of the winery and of vineyards, then she obtains a master in enology at the University of Bordeaux. Miriam Caporali personally takes care of the management of the winery and the commercialization of her wines, whereas her father Giulio continues to take care of the vineyard. Since 2002, the management of wine production is in charge to Mauro Monicchi, the talented wine maker who studied at the school of Prof. Yves Glory - tenured in Enology in the University of Bordeaux and consultant of Tenuta Valdipiatta since 1998 - and, among the other things, has also some years of experience in many Châteaux of Bordeaux. Miriam Caporali is also supported by the collaboration of Urano Carpini - Alfiero's son - and Gabriella Alunni, respectively production manager and administrative manager.
Tenuta Valdipiatta currently own about 40 hectares of lands, of which 30 destined to vineyards and 2 to olive trees, mainly located in the hills of Montepulciano at an altitude of 350 meters above sea level. The cultivation of vineyards is done according to the methods of organic agriculture and the only type of fertilizer used is of organic origin. In order to ensure the best result and quality, all the operations are done manually. The rooms destined to the vinification are equipped with the most modern machines for the processing of the must and wines, and the wine making technologies are the result of the continuous experimentation done at Tenuta Valdipiatta. Recently, Tenuta Valdipiatta has built, inside of its structure, a modern laboratory of analysis with which it is possible to ensure a constant control of wines during the entire production cycle.
The most important restoration works done at Tenuta Valdipiatta have been realized from 2000 to 2002, period in which they also extended the headquarter and built a new room destined to the aging of bottles and to store the wines ready to be commercialized. The historical cellar dug in the tuff and near the headquarter of Tenuta Valdipiatta, accommodates inside the casks for the aging of wines. In fact, inside this cellar are found large Slovenian oak casks, that is the traditional type of cask used for the aging of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, as well as about 300 barriques. Tenuta Valdipiatta's wines are distributed in Italy, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, South Korea, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, England, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Norway, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and United States of America. Among the most representative productions of Tenuta Valdipiatta are mentioned Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, in particular the “Riserva” style and “Vigna d'Alfiero”, as well as Trefonti - produced with Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaiolo Nero and Sangiovese grapes - and Trincerone, a blend of Canaiolo Nero and Merlot.