Piaggia
Carmignano (Prato), Tuscany
Wines:
Poggio de’ Colli 07
Il Sasso 07
Carmignano Riserva 06
Website:
Pronunciation:
pee-AH-jah
Piaggia’s total vineyard extension is fifteen hectares. The total production is approximately 60,000 bottles which translates into very low yields. Thus the wine’s generous concentration, and the owner’s determination to release only Riserva status wines.
The cellars are brand new and built into the side of a hill in order to achieve an ideal temperature for correctly aging the wines. The fermentation tanks are small (40 hectolitres), short and squat: the “chapeau” is therefore thin, easing the process of punching down and allowing a gentle extraction with no pumping over required. After a three week average maceration-fermentation, the wine undergoes malolactic and aging in 100% new small oak. The results have been immediate. Piaggia’s wines easily rival the best of Tuscany, placing this tiny estate in the forefront of quality from inception. Piaggia’s Carmignano displays all the characteristics attributed to fine wine, including that ineffable nobility of expression that is the prerogative of great terroir.
Two more wines are produced: “Il Sasso,” now a Carmignano DOCG, and “Poggio dei Colli,” 100% Cabernet Franc, first released with the 2004 vintage.
