Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc

Food pairings: Bistecca alla Fiorentina, braised lamb, pappardelle with wild boar ragù, porcini dishes and aged Pecorino.

Scores:

• 97 points, Wine Advocate (Monica Larner)
• 97 points, Vinous (Antonio Galloni)
• 97 points, Jeb Dunnuck

Winemaking: Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc ferment and macerate separately for about 15 days. After 12 months in oak they are blended and spend a further six months in concrete vessels, then rest in bottle for several months before release. 2021 was a very dry but moderately cool year: a cold, dry spring with two frosts delayed the vines, one of the driest summers of the decade stayed cool thanks to fresh northwest winds, and harvest began a week later than usual, giving wines of great concentration, structure, color and acidity.

Vineyards and terroir: The fruit comes mainly from the Castagneto Carducci area of Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast, where the vineyards grow mostly on white soil rich in limestone, firm clay and stones. The estate is farmed sustainably.

Family and history: Ca'Marcanda is the Bolgheri estate of the Gaja family, whose roots in Piedmont's Langhe go back more than 150 years. Angelo Gaja bought the land in 1996 after a very long negotiation with the previous owners; the name, from a Piedmontese dialect expression, means "house of endless negotiations". He came to Bolgheri to challenge himself with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The winery, built largely underground from 1998, is covered with some 350 mature olive trees. Camarcanda, first made in 2000, takes the estate's name and is the pinnacle of the family's Bolgheri production. The wines are imported to the US by Wilson Daniels.

In the pictures: Aerial views of the Ca'Marcanda vineyards and of the winery set beneath olive trees, and the Gaja family team at Ca'Marcanda (images: Gaja / Wilson Daniels).