2020 Caiarossa
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Tasting notes
The 2020 Caiarossa is a seven-grape blend predominantly made up of Bordeaux varieties. It also contains Syrah and Alicante, which is perfect for the Mediterranean-esque climate) and Sangiovese. The 2020 heat brings a lovely opulence to the fruit. The wine is rich and juicy and already approachable thanks to fruitiness and resolved tannins. The sweet fruit notes are more reminiscent of a Californian Cabernet than Bordeaux but the fresh tannic bite on the finish belie to the wine’s true Italian origins. This 2020 Caiarossa, which has blueberry, blackberry, and cassis fruit in abundance is a real crowd-pleaser.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Tom Parker MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Warm vintage, among the warmest on record, but without heat spikes, this has a creamy quality to the tannins, combined with welcoming fragrant fennel, clove and Medoiterranean scrub aromatics that combine generosity with precision. Plenty of fresh acidities to balance out the generous autumnal berry fruits and a kick of mint leaf on the finish. Axel Marchal and Valerie Lavigne consultants, AJ Domaines owners. Vinified in a mix of concrete and wooden tanks, 30% new oak for ageing, then held back to 12 months in bottle before release.
This is an ambitious blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Alicante (all the fruit at this estate is organic and biodynamic). The Caiarossa 2020 Caiarossa is one of the Italian wines closest to Bordeaux both in DNA (the estate is French-owned) and winemaking. This is a full-bodied red with a bold and very exuberant personality. There is balance and depth with plenty of purple and black fruits, spice and oak toast to add dimension and complexity. The 2020 vintage is a little thinner compared to the more concentrated 2019 vintage.
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot, Alicante. Maceration on the skins between 20 and 30 days with, first, a few days of cold maceration. Spontaneous fermentation for each variety in concrete and wooden vats from 10 to 80 hl. Two pumpovers daily for about 9–12 days, then once a day until the end of the maceration period. Malolactic conversion in concrete tanks and wooden casks. Aged in tonneaux and barrels (about 30% new) for between 11 months for the most delicate grapes (Alicante) and 20 months for the most powerful ones (Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon). This is followed by six months in concrete tanks before bottling. Very dark, impenetrable crimson. Lifted nose of black forest fruits with just pinch of oak and a hint of damson. Supple black forest fruit and raspberry and just enough acidity to keep the overall tension. Medium-bodied feel rather than full-bodied. Long, finely grained tannins that are a tiny bit bitter and that make their mark on the finish, but this will improve with further bottle age. I would wait a couple of years for the tannins to settle. (WS)
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Product details
Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah / Shiraz, Petit Verdot
Red
Dry