2003 Carpineta Fontalpino Do Ut Des

Fattoria Carpineta Fontalpino was founded in 1967 and is today run by siblings Gioia and Filippo Cresti, who are the children of the founders. Its 60 acres of vineyards are organically farmed, and the estate produces 100,000 bottles annually. Located near the southern tip of the Chianti Classico appellation, the estate is known for its Chianti. But it also produces Super Tuscan blends of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Gambero Rosso has frequently given the estate’s Super Tuscans the highest rating of 3 glasses, and notes that Carpineta “has by now achieved a solid standard of quality, and offers a modern-style range of well-balanced, characterful wines, full-bodied and generous…”

Tuscany, or Toscana in Italian, is Italy’s best-known wine region and its most diverse. Historically Sangiovese was the primary grape grown in Tuscany and Chianti was considered the purest expression of Sangiovese. Sangiovese and its many clones are still important, and they are the grapes used for the Tuscan appellations of Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano, Chianti, Chianti Classico and Carmignano. But in the last 50 years innovative producers, many of them in southwestern Tuscany in the area called Maremma, have also planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The tradition defying producers have blended those varietals with Sangiovese to produce dazzling wines that do not conform to Italy’s appellation regulations. Such wines are called Super Tuscans and cannot be labeled with either of Italy’s highest level quality designations, which are in order of status Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantia, (DOCG), and Denominazione di Origine Controllata, (DOC). (This has not at all hindered the demand for Super Tuscans, some of which are consistently among the world’s most admired and well-reviewed wines.) Tuscany has six DOCG appellations and thirty-four DOCs. Though famous for its red wines, Tuscany also produces whites made primarily from Trebbiano and Vernaccia. There are also many Tuscan Indicazione Geographica Tipica (IGT) wines that are often an innovative blend of traditional and non-traditional grapes. This relatively new appellation status was started in 1992 as an attempt to give an official classification to Italy’s many newer blends that do fit the strict requirements of DOC and DOCG classifications. IGT wines may use the name of the region and varietal on their label or in their name.