Caiarossa, another Super Tuscan maritime star

Find out all about Caiarossa, a Tuscan estate located in Val di Cecina, in the heart of the Maremma, on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Caiarossa: listening to nature and the discipline of feng shui.

Founded ex-nihilo in 1998 by a Belgian entrepreneur whose aim was to create a winery that respects nature, Caiarossa - also named after the medieval village - owes its name to the soil characteristics of its vineyard plots planted on red gravel “ghiaia rossa” in the local dialect. But the name is also said to refer to Podere Serra all'Olio, an ancient olive grove whose olive trees - which form a vast 6-hectare olive grove - have been preserved to produce top-quality extra-virgin olive oil to this day.

The estate's particularity lies not in the fact that it has practiced biodynamic viticulture from the outset (since 2001, on the initiative of French oenologist Dominique Génot), but above all in its architectural and technical design: cellars built according to geodynamics and the Asian concept and discipline of feng shui. In this respect, Caiarossa is probably one of Italy's most enigmatic and original wineries.

To get there, you have to cross wild Mediterranean scrubland. The road winds through hills dotted with centuries-old olive trees, with the Tyrrhenian Sea in the background, dotted with the islands of the Tuscan archipelago. Val di Cecina, or Riparbella to be precise, is the birthplace of Caiarossa, situated on a hill on the Tuscan coast, halfway between the ancient cities of Volterra and Pisa.

Caiarossa is located in the heart of the Maremma, very close to the Tuscan coast. As such, the estate benefits from a specific micro-climate for producing top-quality “Super Tuscan” wines. So it's hardly surprising that a Dutch family, the Albada Jelgersma - well known to wine lovers for their Bordeaux wines produced at their two 1855 Grand Cru Classé estates (in the Margaux appellation), Châteaux Giscours (3rd Grand Cru Classé) and Du Tertre (5th Grand Cru Classé) - acquired Caiarossa in 2004, joining the AJ Domaines group to produce exceptional wines.

Sadly, in June 2018, Eric Albada Jelgersma passed away at the age of 79. His innovative work will be perpetuated by his three children, Valérie, Dennis and Derk, with the help of Alexander Van Beek (Mr. Albada Jelgersma's right-hand man at Giscours since 1997), who are determined to continue developing this idyllic place (so much appreciated by Eric Albada Jelgersma), with unfailing passion and dedication. As a tribute to their father, visitors can see a surprisingly large sculpture in the very spot that Eric Albada Jelgersma loved to observe. It's a pair of glasses suggesting the Dutch owner's gaze, contemplating the beauty of the place.

Caiarossa: another Tuscan terroir with Bordeaux accents.

Eric Albada Jelgersma and his young team of Bordeaux, Dutch and Italian winemakers set about making wines in the picturesque Val di Cecina, one of the world's leading regions for fine red wines, starting with 12 hectares of vines on this typical ferruginous soil, with an emphasis on the great Bordeaux grape varieties that the owner of Château Giscours knows and masters perfectly well through his director, Alexander Van Beek. At that time, oenologist Dominique Génot and his wife Solenn were managing the Tuscan estate, in collaboration with Lorenzo Pasquini (technical director since 2018) and Jérôme Poisson, in charge of vinification. Eric Alba Jelgersma, who literally fell in love with this estate, had the ambition from the outset to make Caiarossa a double, or even twin, of Château Giscours, while retaining each of the two entities' specific characteristics.

Following the example of the organization of parcels in Bordeaux crus, Caiarossa - whose vineyard is shaped like an arena around the winery - is also divided into several small parcels, each with its own entity and grape variety. This combination of terroir and grape variety not only enables us to manage our vineyards on a parcel-by-parcel basis, but also to clearly express the personality of each lot - vinified separately in the vat room - to create wines of remarkable richness, aromatic complexity and depth of flavour, expressing the nuances of the limestone soils at lower altitudes, as well as those of the ferrous sands and pebbles in the higher parts of the vineyard.

Today, although the vineyard has grown from 16 hectares to 31 hectares, local grape varieties such as Sangiovese (present at just 5%) very quickly shared the limelight, as soon as the Dutch family arrived, with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Franc (28%), Cabernet Sauvignon (16%), Merlot (12%), Petit Verdot (7%) and 2% Alicante (of Spanish origin), topped off with the Rhône variety, Syrah (30%). The estate also produces whites made from Chardonnay (Burgundy origin), Viognier (Rhone Valley grape) and Petit Manseng (known in Jurançon). This unprecedented combination results in rather daring, rarely encountered blends, with surprisingly original and profound wines.

An ode to nature and environmental respect.

Caiarossa is managed like a Garden of Eden, where fruit (grapes and olives) and vegetables find their full expression and blossoming. Today, the estate covers more than 100 hectares, with almost 40 hectares of vines, 20 hectares of wildflower meadows, 6 hectares of olive groves and 34 hectares of Mediterranean woodland.

On the vineyard side, the estate very quickly embarked on the organic approach, obtaining AB certification in 2003 and then biodynamic certification (Demeter in 2005) initiated by French oenologist Dominique Génot, who worked at Caiarossa for fourteen years before devoting himself to his own estate, Mas Llossanes (IGP Côtes Catalanes and AOP Côtes du Roussillon, near Perpignan in France).

At Caiarossa, biodynamic viticulture was judged by those involved to be the only method of cultivation capable of revealing, with exemplary fidelity, the vitality and intrinsic character of a rich and totally alive terroir. From the outset, Caiarossa has been committed to sustainable viticulture, the principle of which is to respect the environment by excluding all phytosanitary products and inputs used in conventional viticulture. To this end, the estate uses composted stalks and vine shoots to enrich the soil. Here, only natural preventive treatments are used. Caiarossa plays the biodiversity card to the full.

An original approach to Feng Shui.

Here, everything is harmony and Zen atmosphere, helping to make people serene and happy, and facilitating wine-making. In this environment worthy of sophrology, with skilfully chosen materials, well-placed technical elements and colors that reinforce well-being (red outside the buildings, yellow inside), it's the principle of feng shui that favors a kind of harmony and serenity in a skilfully orchestrated layout. As Solenn Génot (wife of oenologist Dominique Génot) once put it, “to maintain a link with nature”, the cellar (vat room and ageing cellar) was designed around the feng shui philosophy. The location of both the main building and the cellar is no coincidence. The cellar, organized on three levels with large volumes and spaces (for easy work and comfort), is located where the energy of the place is strongest (in other words, halfway between the top of the hill and the bottom of the valley). It's bright red on the outside and yellow on the inside. Everything is bright and well thought-out. It exudes a zenitude that finds its full expression in a process, at every stage, that respects people and living things. The grapes are transported by conveyor belt, then vatted in cement vats and oak barrels (for pre-fermentation maceration lasting 2 to 4 days, followed by complete maceration on the skins for around 20 days, depending on the grape variety and parcel in question) before malolactic fermentation in cement vats, or even wooden vats. All visible and invisible energies are called upon to serenely carry out the maceration and ageing stages of the wines, ranging from 11 months for grapes considered delicate (Alicante style) to 20 months for the most robust grape varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot in particular). The wine is then aged in cement vats for 6 months before bottling.

The grapes, then the wine, are never pumped, but arrive exclusively by gravity. The detail is important: the wine retains all its finesse and aromatic balance. And the result of this very oriental approach (thanks to feng shui) can be felt: the wines are pure, very elegant and appear harmonious very early on, in their prime youth.

Wines with dual personalities.

Caiarossa uses multiple facets to differentiate itself.

Firstly, its logo. A tribute to the earth goddess Gaia (mother of all the Olympian gods), Caiarossa is blessed by the gods, and in particular by a god whose emblem the estate has made its logo, which is prominently displayed on the labels of wines made in Caiarossa. A veritable standard, it represents an Etruscan clay statue to the glory of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, fertility and vegetation. Discovered near Volterra and dating from the 4th century BC, this statue was acquired by Eric Albada shortly before he bought Caiarossa in 2004.

On the other hand, a very singular grape variety. The 10 grape varieties present and the unique blends, sometimes including wines made from 8 different grape varieties, depending on the year, like the eponymous wine (IGT Toscana) “Caiarossa”, offer ecological wines of breathtaking complexity and aromatic richness. Indeed, Caiarossa is not your typical Tuscan wine, with its very Bordeaux and Rhône accents. Here, we get a subtle marriage of French elegance with a certain character, even the legendary Italian temperament. This is the spirit of Caiarossa wines. Drinking these long-aged wines (for which you may have to wait 10 to 15 years before beginning to appreciate all their nuances) is an initiatory voyage into another universe. Prepare them well in advance (decanting is welcome)!

To sum up, the style of the wines is singular. In particular, the reds (predominantly Cabernet Franc) offer wines with a mineral expression, powerful, fresh mouthfeel, concentrated but well-integrated tannins and a nose of intense aromatic richness. Whether it's Caiarossa, Aria di Caiarossa, Pergolaia, Essenzia (100% Petit Verdot), Caiarossa bianco (Chardonnay, Viognier) or the very rare Oro di Caiarossa (100% Petit Manseng)...every cuvée offered by the domaine displays elegance and aplomb. This is truly fine work.

Caiarossa 2021, Rosso Toscana IGT 

This Super Tuscan is the great Caiarossa wine. An unprecedented blend in terms of the number of grape varieties used (7), this wine is astonishingly rich and elegant, yet at the same time powerful and perfectly balanced. Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese and Grenache make up this vintage, in which black fruit aromas are expressed with frankness and intensity. The Cabernet Franc dominates with its freshness on the palate, giving this nectar plenty of tension and dynamism. With agitation, the wine expresses a little more depth and complexity, with notes of nutmeg, spices, pinewood and licorice. The palate is lively from the outset, with good acid support, sheathed in tight, elegant tannins that give the wine real weight. Black fruits also dominate, bringing greediness to the palate. A few balsamic touches (cedar) appear on the finish, confirming the elegance and breed of this well-built wine. The bitter-orange finish is long in a vintage that is sure to keep for a long time. Although still young at this stage, the wine already offers a lot. A great wine with lots of personality.

“Pergolaia” Rosso Toscana IGT 2020

Considered another Caiarossa wine in its own right, Pergolaia is essentially composed of Sangiovese (70%), with equal proportions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Pergolaia 2020 presents a precise, pure and sensual nose, without opulence, with scents of red cherry, black olive tapenade, blackcurrant and floral touches such as rose petals. Agitation reveals notes of cedar and a hint of garrigue, lending a singular touch. On the palate, the wine's structure, without being massive, is organized around fairly straight, firm tannins that are not lacking in elegance. The finish is spicy and fresh. A fruity, straightforward, gourmet wine that's seductive in every way.

“Aria di Caiarossa” Rosso Toscana IGT 2020 

Aria di Caiarossa is made from the estate's youngest vines, located between 200 and 350 meters above sea level. 5 grape varieties are used to produce a lovely score of aromas. A blend of 32% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Syrah and 7% Grenache, Aria di Caiarossa 2020 is a sensual IGT Toscana wine with a refreshing aromatic purity on notes of raspberry, black berries, black fruits followed by spices (cinnamon-style), dark chocolate and a hint of minerality. The palate is very juicy, built around fine tannins with a delicate, silky feel. The wine's minerality is reminiscent of wet limestone on a rainy day. The wine's weight is well present, with a reminder of the black fruits evident on the nose. The finish is spicy and quite dynamic, with good length and ageing potential. A well-balanced wine with personality, quite captivating.

Caiarossa's great vintages: the best of the best:

2007-2010-2011-2012-2013-2014-2015-2018-2019-2020-2022