Sangiovese Grosso Without the Lecture; Caparzo Rosso di Montalcino
I’ve worked with Caparzo wines in restaurants for nearly twenty years, and one thing has remained remarkably consistent: they have always delivered some of the best value in both Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino. In a category where prices often sprint upward while quality jogs casually behind, Caparzo keeps showing up with wines that overperform their price point.
I appreciate Caparzo’s Rosso because it does not try to be “Baby Brunello,” which is often code for “a wine that wishes it were somewhere else.” Too many Rossos are stripped-down imitation Brunellos: over-extracted, over-oaked, too serious for their own good, and somehow already exhausted before you open them. This is not that wine.
Instead, Caparzo leans into what I believe that Rosso di Montalcino should actually be: a fresher, brighter, more energetic expression of Sangiovese that exists for immediate pleasure rather than long-term philosophical reflection. Brunello can sometimes feel like a monolithic wine of contemplation. Magnificent, certainly, but occasionally about as casual as reading Tolstoy during a power outage. Rosso should be joyful.
The 2024 bursts with vivid cherry fruit, crushed raspberry, dried herbs, orange peel, and that unmistakable Tuscan earthiness that somehow smells both rustic and expensive at the same time. The tannins are polished but present, the acidity keeps everything humming, and there’s enough savory complexity to remind you this still comes from serious terroir.
Caparzo continues to understand something many producers forget: not every wine needs to be a cathedral. Sometimes it just needs to be delicious. And this very much is.
92 Points, James Suckling
A graceful wine with aromas of roses and strawberries, not too layered or complex yet delicious and pristine. Light- to medium-bodied, crisp and crunchy, it demands a second glass. Drink now.