Say Caprai and you immediately think of red Sagrantino, but the truth is that Marco Caprai's tireless work towards the enhancement of Umbrian viticulture and native grape varieties is also aimed at white varieties.
This is the case with Grechetto, the symbolic white grape of Umbria, which Caprai has been offering since 1989 with its GrecanteA wine of great personality and character, perhaps one of the most important Grechettos in the region and consequently in Italy. A smooth and balanced white, rich and multifaceted, very long, which with the 2016 vintage has managed to enter fully into Wine Spectator's prestigious Top100.
Montefalco, which like only the world's great wine territories manages to combine the quality of both red and white wines,
For Caprai, it has always passed through research and experimentation, conducted together with the University of Milan: constant work that from the outset has also involved international grape varieties, in order to understand which ones can best express their potential in Montefalco in Umbria, assimilating unique peculiarities that can only be brought out thanks to this territory. This is the case of the Chardonnay Umbria IGT and the Sauvignon Umbria IGTThe first is seductive, fresh, rich in hints of citrus, pear and white peach, with mineral and delicately buttery notes; the second is an explosion of white flowers, with a touch of citrus and fun vegetal notes. Then there is the intense and refined Cuvée Secrètewhich was launched in 2012 and which each year combines the best of the Montefalco winery's white berry production in a blend, as the name suggests, that is absolutely secret but which, in addition to Grechetto, aims to make the most of the best expressiveness of Italian and international varieties.
These four labels are now joined by a Classic Method BrutFar from being yet another exercise in style dictated by commercial objectives. The story of this new label encapsulates - and goes even further than - the entire green philosophy that Marco Caprai has been pursuing for years to enhance and keep intact and vital the typical characteristics of the Montefalco territory, knowing how to compete over time in a condition of sustainability. That same environmental, economic and social sustainability has found full representation in the 'Montefalco 2015: The New Green Revolution' project, the first territorial sustainability protocol in the wine industry.
Thus, the 2 hectares of vineyards dedicated to the production of the new Metodo Classico Brut Arnaldo Caprai are not just any two hectares. The project, in fact, stems from the idea of replanting an area located towards the Apennine ridge in the Marche region, a portion of land that benefits from the influence of the sea at an altitude of between 500 and 800 metres above sea level, and of enhancing the inland areas of the Apennines between Umbria and Marche where, following the earthquakes that hit them, a real depopulation is underway that can only be fought with new enhancement projects. It was here that Marco Caprai, after careful study and analysis, decided to plant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and try to produce his first Metodo Classico.
From a project with a good heart can only be born something equally good: and so are these bubbles that are left to age on the mild at least 20 months, 50%Pinot Nero 50% Chardonnay. The vintage on the market today is the 2017, the second vintage produced that already demonstrates a fabric and class that rivals many other Italian metodo classico wines of longer experience and renown. These and the other Arnaldo Caprai labels will also be on tasting at Vinitaly (Verona, 7-10 April 2019, Hall 7 - B6), where the first vintage of wines - the 2015 - signed by Michel Rolland, the French oenologist considered among the most authoritative on the international scene or, as Marco Caprai defines him, "our Cristiano Ronaldo", with whom the collaboration began 4 years ago, will also make its debut.
ARNALDO CAPRAI FARM AT A GLANCE
Few other wineries in Italy and around the world are immediately identified just by mentioning the name of the denomination to which they belong, like Arnaldo Caprai, itself a symbol of Sagrantino di Montefalco. A unique reality, synonymous with Italian excellence, capable of creating wines that are out of the ordinary in terms of depth, elegance and longevity: not only reds, but also whites. The credit for this adventure that began in the late 1970s goes to Marco Caprai, Arnaldo's son. It was he, in fact, more than anyone else who believed in the richness of Sagrantino, reinterpreting it in a modern key, through the most innovative production and business management methods, which have enabled him to win the favour of the public and critics all over the world. Not to be outdone by the whites: Arnaldo Caprai's Grecante, 100% Grechetto, managed to conquer Wine Spectator's Top100.
A great company, Arnaldo Caprai, that guards a green soul, considering issues concerning sustainability, protection and safeguarding the environment as fundamental. The point of observation always remains the same: trying to behave in harmony with natural evolution cycles, preserving and enhancing the territory in which it operates. This is why the company decided to create an Environmental Management System that complies with international regulations, developing a voluntary territorial protocol of environmental, economic and social sustainability of the production process.
It is in this unparalleled context that wines of unforgettable substance are born, complex and elegant, capable of narrating the best of an entire region, Umbria.
