Campo Alle Comete Cabernet Sauvignon Oltresogno

In 1944 Cabernet Sauvignon arrived in Italy. However, the journey was not at all smooth; we could even call it a bit risky considering that grapes weren’t grown in the Italian Maremma, in Tuscany. At that time, it was believed that this land in the province of Livorno, by the Tyrrhenian Sea, wasn’t suitable for vineyards. Only one person, the Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, was able to disprove this, introducing what we now know as Supertoscanos by making wines with this variety. Since then, Cabernet Sauvignon has proclaimed itself the undisputed queen of the area and no one has dared to reclaim this title. The results, deep, full-bodied, flavoursome, quality wines, don’t lie and over the years they have been well endorsed, encouraging more and more winemakers to get on the bandwagon. One of the latest to do so is the southern group Tenute Capaldo (owners of the Feudi di San Gregorio winery), who have decided to buy new facilities here, set up their new Campo Alle Comete winery and produce Campo Alle Comete Cabernet Sauvignon Oltresogno.

At the moment the group owns 26 hectares of vineyards in the municipality of Castegno Carduci in three different areas: a plot to the south, on the top of the Torre and Montepergoli hill; another next to the winery and finally, the Sondraie vineyard, to the north, where they grow Cabernet Sauvignon. Here the soils are clay-rocky, but what really determines how the grapes grow and ripen is the microclimate, influenced by the proximity of the Tyrrhenian Sea. This body of water is very significant, because it dampens the temperatures (both in winter and summer); it also acts as a mirror, reflecting the sun’s rays that will bounce off the vineyards, helping the grapes to ripen properly. As a result, Cabernet Sauvignon takes on unique nuances that cannot be reproduced anywhere else in the world.

With this in mind, it would be a shame to lose all this variety in the winery during winemaking. For this reason, at Campo Alle Comete they choose to ferment and macerate (for 3 weeks) in stainless steel tanks. The same happens during aging, where half of the volume of Campo Alle Comete Cabernet Sauvignon Oltresogno remains in these same containers to preserve its fruity touches. The other half spends the same amount of time waiting in new and used, medium toasted French oak barrels. After this phase, the coupage is made and Campo Alle Comete Cabernet Sauvignon Oltresogno again rests for approximately another half year in the bottle before being released for sale.