2015 Camarcanda

The 2015 Camarcanda is ripe but fresh, with kirsch, sweet floral and fresh sage, herbes de Provence smoke. Gaia notes here that they picked earlier during this warm vintage than most of their neighbors. The wine is full bodied but still light on its feet, with juicy red and black fruit. It is immediately pleasurable and offers up joyful drinking that is hard to resist. There is an ease with this now that makes for the wine drinking well early, although it likely will have the freshness to continue over the next 15 or so years. When the Gaja family purchased their Bolgheri property in 1996, it was home to 10 hectares of vines planted to Sangiovese and Trebbiano. The rest of the land was dedicated to olive trees, peach trees, and cereal grains. Angelo Gaja was drawn to the region by several factors, including the small size of the region, which was always something he looked for when seeking out denominations outside of their Piedmont home. The Bolgheri DOC had recently been established in 1994 with only 1300 hectares in total. A very different region from Piedmont, Bolgheri has historically been land owned by noble people whereas Piedmont was a region of farmers. Thus, the Tuscans were more connected to international travel, and you find people with international names and sensibilities. Other differences include the incredibly varied soils, with 27 different types identified due to the erosion from the Colline Metalifere. Additionally, constant winds come through the region that help both with ventilation and temperature control of the vines. My tasting occurred at the Bolgheri winery in November of 2022, alongside Gaia Gaja, who has been instrumental in working alongside her siblings and their father across the properties. Whether it is in the vineyard or in the winery, the family and the team at Ca' Marcanda are consistently evolving to raise the bar with a measured and steady hand.