Caggio
Il Caggio is a small medieval village located in the hills of Chianti Classico, and the reason it exists as a winery is due to a section of the village enclosed by the castle walls. The Mazzei family purchased this land because it was adjacent to their ancestral home. For 10 years, before releasing a single bottle of wine, they devoted themselves to studying the soil, testing different clones, and converting the vineyard to organic farming. The work here is painstakingly meticulous. Grapes are harvested by individual clone and plot and vinified separately. The vineyards are surrounded by forests, olive groves, and red stone walls. The wines produced through this process include Ipsus, Chianti Classico DOCG, released under the names Chianti Classico Gran Selezione and Il Caggio as single-vineyard wines, and olive oil produced from the estate's olive grove.
History
Il Caggio changed hands in 2006 when the Mazzei family acquired it. Since the family was already farming right next door, they were well aware of the potential of the adjacent hill, and the property included a small village, woods, and an olive grove.
However, the land they truly desired was the clos, a walled-off section of Sangiovese, set apart from everything else. From that point on, everything revolved around this section.
Mazzei is a name with a long history in Tuscan wines, and the family traces its origins back to the 1400s. However, even that long history did not shorten the wait here. Ten years passed between the purchase and the first release of Ipsus, during which time soil analysis, clone trials, and the transition to organic farming were carried out.
Since 2006, the goal consistently pursued with every vintage has been to understand the message conveyed by this special vineyard and to bottle it exactly as it is, without embellishment.
The vineyards
Il Caggio covers a total area of 150 hectares, most of which consists of forest, olive groves, and the village itself. The vineyards make up only a small portion of this area.
At the center lies the clos, a 6.5-hectare area entirely dedicated to the Sangiovese vineyard. It is small enough to walk through in an afternoon and is managed as several separate plots rather than a single vineyard.
The elevation ranges from 310 to 361 meters, resulting in a significant difference in elevation between the highest and lowest rows. The aspect ranges from southeast to southwest over a 150-degree arc, so while the vines receive sunlight for most of the day, not all vines are exposed to the sun at the same time.
The winemaking process follows the same logic as the vineyard's layout. Grapes from different clones and plots are transported separately to the winery, a practice made possible only by such a finely subdivided vineyard.
Clay schist, marl and alberese
The soil beneath the cover consists mainly of clayey schist, mixed with fragments of alberese, a pale, hard limestone that cuts across the calcareous marl and Chianti Classico. This is the combination preferred by Sangiovese. Clay retains moisture, while stones aid drainage; according to Il Caggio, this gives the wine structure and minerality.
The climate here is Mediterranean. Good ventilation and low humidity help suppress disease, which is a crucial factor in organic farming where the use of chemical pesticides is restricted.
Red stones are visible along the village walls, and the family compares this colour to the sanguigna red chalk Leonardo da Vinci used for his drawings. That very red color is engraved on every capsule of the Ipsus bottle.
Sangiovese
There are no grape varieties for blending, nor are there any foreign varieties. Only Sangiovese is planted in the vineyard at Il Caggio; there is nothing else. This is a firm conviction that is rare even in the Chianti Classico region, where blending has long been the norm.
- Sangiovese, the only variety grown at Il Caggio
- Multiple clones, planted and harvested separately
- The Clone selection was part of a decade-long research project prior to its initial release
Winemaking
Il Caggio describes its approach as lying at the intersection of naturalism and modernism, and its wine cellar is a clear reflection of this. Fermentation occurs naturally using the yeast present on the grapes, and the grapes from each plot are stored in separate containers.
The aging process is carried out by intentionally mixing wines from various types of containers. Portions of the wine are aged in new tonos (small oak barrels larger than standard barriques), traditional large casks, and ceramic vessels. Oak adds structure to the wine, while casks and ceramic vessels preserve the fruit's natural flavors.
Precision is the core principle of this winery. Blending takes place only after separate clones, separate vineyard plots, and separate fermentation processes have been completed. A defining characteristic of this winery is that the wine produced from its 6.5-hectare vineyard is divided into numerous small batches.
The wines, Ipsus
Ipsus Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is a wine made exclusively at Il Caggio. It is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes harvested from a single vineyard. Ipsus is a Latin term meaning he himself; this word, which once symbolized nobility and solitude, was chosen with the hope that this wine would shine on its own, without the need for further explanation.
In addition, Chianti Classico DOCG produced on the same estate within the same appellation is bottled under the name Il Caggio.
Wine is not the only product of this estate. There is an olive grove on the property, and the farm produces its own olive oil. This aligns well with the character of the Tuscan village, which was an active community long before this site became a winery.
The best vintages of Ipsus
As the winery does not have a long trackrecord, the number of vintages is limited. All vintages score well, but some vintages stand out like 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Il Caggio?
The Mazzei family, who acquired it in 2006. The property borders the family's original estate in Chianti Classico.
What does Ipsus mean?
It is Latin for he himself, a term historically linked to nobility and distinction. The name refers to the wine standing on its own, with no blend and no second site.
Is Ipsus a single-vineyard wine?
Yes. It comes from the 6.5-hectare clos at Il Caggio, planted entirely to Sangiovese and vinified plot by plot.
Why is the capsule red?
It echoes the red stones in the walls of the Il Caggio hamlet, a colour the family links to Leonardo da Vinci's sanguigna red chalk drawings.
