2009 Arnaldo-Caprai, Spinning Beauty Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG

It takes a significant amount of courage and passion to aim for a dream that goes beyond ones own parents realm of possibilities, especially when that parent is already a pioneer in his own right. Marco Caprai said that there was only one time in his life when he disagreed with his father Arnaldo Caprai, the man who brought attention to the quality potential of the Sagrantino red grape that is an indigenous variety of the town of Montefalco in Umbria, Italy; it was the drastic choice to change the trellising of the vines for the 1990 vintage at their Arnaldo-Caprai winery as Marco decided to have each plant grow a lot less grape bunches. Marco described his fathers reaction as disaster and remembered him yelling, Who are you to decide?! But it ended up being a fantastic vintage and it was the first step towards creating an iconic wine in the lesser known wine region of Umbria.

Arnaldo-Caprai

Marco Caprai

My father founded the Arnaldo-Caprai winery in 1971 but he was in the textile business and so when I was very young he left the responsibility of the winery to me, said Marco explaining how it came to pass that he took charge of the winery in 1989 at the tender age of 21. Arnaldo initially only started with 12 acres of vineyards and today the winery has 370 acres and is the beacon of light for serious Sagrantino red wines that other local producers in Montefalco have looked to for inspiration. But the influence of the Arnaldo-Caprai winery extends to other continents as Marco has met producers from Australia, South Africa and North and South America who are working with Sagrantino who also have been inspired by his wines.

Arnaldo-Caprai Wine Lunch at Ai Fiori in New York City

Marco remarked that his father was before his time when he tried to make quality Sagrantino in the 1970s as the focus was more on quantity and not quality because, generally, back then Italy was a poor country where many of the inhabitants drank wines as a food source for calories. But as the demand for higher quality Italian wines grew in the U.S. during the 80s, as well as in Italy, there was a shift in the 1990s to meet that demand according to Marco. This was most noted in export markets with the increased export of quality Sangiovese wines from such areas as Chianti in the region of Tuscany as Sangiovese had already become a staple in the U.S.. But what is interesting about Sagrantino is that it was bordering on extinction at one time as it is a variety that produces small grapes and small bunches and so the yields are low which makes the idea of Marco lowering the yields even more extraordinary. Another issue is that Sagrantino has one of the highest polyphenol contents in the world making the wine very tannic if not handled with great care in the vineyards and cellar.

Spinning Beauty Wines Paired Perfectly with Ai Fiori's Spaghetti with Blue Crab, Lemon, Bottarga and ... [+] Chilies Dish

It is said that Sagrantino was brought to Montefalco by the Franciscan monks during the Middle Ages and that traditionally it was made as a sweet passito (made by dried grapes) that was drunk during special occasions. The passito Sagrantino was a wine that Marco remembers his family drinking for Easter but it was a wine that was only made in minuscule quantities that was falling out of fashion. But Marco and his father looked at the Sagrantino variety as one that had all the key elements that the great dry red wines of the world shared, structure and body, good acidity and a very long capacity for aging.

Improvements Towards Iconic Wine Status

Arnaldo-Caprai Winery and Vineyards

Marco has implemented many changes to unlock the greatest of Montefalcos Sagrantino grape. As mentioned previously, it was vital to setup the vines to produce fewer grapes as there was always an issue with balance between the ripeness of the polyphenols (tannins) and the sugar ripeness. During the summer, the vines would shutdown and not restart until the first rain of autumn so full maturation of the polyphenols did not come about until the beginning of November causing too much sugar ripeness. Once the vines started producing fewer grapes the plants had more energy to continue maturing the grapes throughout the summer and so the polyphenols were ideally ripe in September which kept the sugars from getting too high. Then, starting in 1988, Marco participated in researching various clones of Sagrantino with the University of Milan. After 10 years of research, starting with over 150 clones, Marco chose three with one of them being named the Cobra Sagrantino clone that had become famous among Sagrantino wine lovers.

In the cellar, he works with integral fermentation for his iconic wine where the grapes are kept in barrels that are manually rotated while fermenting for ten days and they are kept in a temperature controlled room and continually rotated until the wine finishes post-fermentation maceration, around 30 to 40 days. The temperature is constantly adjusted depending on the stage of the wine and no pumping over of the juice over the skins takes place. Despite Sagrantino having lots of tannins, the quality of the tannins can be quite smooth when the right clones, growing methods and winemaking techniques are used and hence it can be macerated on the skins for a long time and not suffer from off-putting astringent qualities like other red grape varieties. And finally, his iconic wine ages for at least ten years before it is released onto the market.

Spinning Beauty

2010 Arnaldo-Caprai, Spinning Beauty Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG

Spinning Beauty is the iconic wine that Marco created to show the world that the Sagrantino of Montefalco deserves its spot among the finest international wines across the globe that have reached legendary status. The name is an homage to Marcos father, Arnaldo Caprai, who made his success in the textile business and that sentiment is even further noted on the label that shows a threaded needle. Marco noted that his father always focused on excellence when it came to textiles and that is why Spinning Beauty is the perfect way to honor his legacy; the spinning of cashmere (Umbria is considered the district of cashmere) seems fitting for a winery that was able to find the elegance of one of the most tannic wines of Italy. 2006 was the first vintage and it took the fine wine world by storm on its release, a decade after harvest, by illustrating that there was still another red grape not yet recognized that was ideal for aging.

The Dream of Immortality

Marcos father certainly carved an illustrious name for himself in the textile world yet it was Marco who was the one who needed to take the dream of his fathers small winery and turn it into a milestone for Sagrantino and for the town of Montefalco in Umbria. A lot of people have the passion for wine and to produce wine because they want to have immortality; it is a dream filled with passion, Marco confessed as he presented the 2010, 2009 and 2008 vintages of Spinning Beauty. A dream that was beyond the comprehension of his father as making fine cashmere in Umbria made sense but making a Sagrantino that could compete with other fine wines of the world was another story as other Italian wine regions had already eclipsed Umbria when it came to internationally known wines. But sometimes it takes the new generation to see the potential that is not even considered and hence pioneers new opportunities finding their own sense of immortality; immortality for a man and immortality for the Sagrantino grape.

2008, 2009 and 2010 Vintages of Spinning Beauty

2018 Arnaldo-Caprai, Cuve Secrte Umbria Bianco IGT

2018 Arnaldo-Caprai, Cuve Secrte Umbria Bianco IGT, Umbria: A blend of Grechetto,Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Fiano; every year the blend is different. This project started in 2012 to introduce a high quality white wine from Montefalco. Golden apples with hints of anise and wild flowers on the nose and a creamy body that had mineral laced honey notes on the finish.

2010 Arnaldo-Caprai, Spinning Beauty, Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, Umbria: 100% Sagrantino (Cobra clone) from Marcos oldest vines in his Monte della Torre vineyard. Marco said that 2010 was considered one of the great vintages in recent times for Montefalco Sagrantino. A big, brooding wine that was powerful yet incredibly elegant with complex notes of graphite, dark chocolate and toasted spices that had a rich mid-palate with brawny tannins that suggested this wine will age for decades. The 2010 has not been officially released onto the market and it is only be previewed by the press and wine buyers at this time.

2009 Arnaldo-Caprai, Spinning Beauty, Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, Umbria: 100% Sagrantino (Cobra clone) from Marcos oldest vines in his Monte della Torre vineyard. 2009 was a colder vintage according to Marco. This 2009 was much more open than the 2010 which is not a surprise considering the difference in the vintages. Pretty nose with notes of violets, bright red cherries and cinnamon that had finer tannins on the palate with still plenty of structure to age yet it had a more overall graceful quality at this stage of its life.

2008 Arnaldo-Caprai, Spinning Beauty, Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, Umbria: 100% Sagrantino (Cobra clone) from Marcos oldest vines in his Monte della Torre vineyard. Fresh leather and clove notes initially that evolved into multilayered fruit such as fresh blackberries and plum pie which made this an extremely multifaceted wine that just became more enticing on the finish with compelling notes of saffron and smoldering earth that had a slight grip that gave shape and precision to the finish.

2015 Arnaldo-Caprai, Belcompare Umbria Merlot IGT

2015 Arnaldo-Caprai, Belcompare, Umbria Merlot IGT, Umbria: 100% Merlot. Marco makes a Montefalco Rosso DOC wine that requires anywhere from 60% to 70% Sangiovese, 10% to 15% Sagrantino and then allows a winemakers choice of another red variety and in Marcos case he likes using Merlot to balance out the Sangiovese and Sagrantino. Marco started working with famed wine consultant from Bordeaux, Michele Rolland, and Michele was really impressed with a particular section of the Merlot vineyard and so Marco decided to bottle it separately in this Belcompare selection. This is the first vintage of this wine and it was absolutely a heavenly Merlot with an enchanting perfume with bright acidity that lifted the sweet fruit with delightful hints of blueberry scone and sea salt that had silky tannins and a richly, flavorful finish.

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The Creation Of An Iconic Wine From Umbria, Italy - Forbes