The last wine poured at dinner was one you couldn’t buy.
Paradiso dei Conigli, or Rabbit’s Paradise, is an orange wine made from Ansonica (the grape Sicilians call Inzolia) and aged in amphora. I was told it was made as a homage to the owner’s wife. It was an unexpected thing to find at the end of an evening devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon from Bolgheri, and it told me more about Podere Sapaio than any technical sheet.
A young estate in a young region
I’ll be upfront about Bolgheri. Since the success of Sassicaia, the coast has attracted its share of imitators: ambitious reds with heavy extraction, high alcohol, plenty of new oak and generous helpings of Merlot.
Podere Sapaio, founded in 1999 by Massimo Piccin, an engineer from the Veneto, could easily have become another of them. On the evidence of a vertical tasting at 67 Pall Mall, hosted by Walter Speller, it has been allowed to develop and experiment instead.
Bolgheri itself is young as fine wine regions go. Its red wines only gained DOC status in 1994, and in the years that followed new estates piled in to make the most of the warm climate, the cooling breezes off the sea and a patchwork of soils. Piccin planted his vines in 2000, with Carlo Ferrini as consultant, and released his first vintage in 2004.
Our tasting went back to 2005, so it covered almost the whole life of the estate.
Watching the style settle
With any young winery there comes a point where the style finds its feet, and over the course of the evening you could taste it happening.
The earlier vintages were full-bodied and powerful, but for me the Merlot brought tannins that lacked freshness. In the latest releases, the 2015 Sapaio and the 2016 Volpolo, the emphasis has moved firmly to Cabernet Sauvignon and the oak sits further back. The wines have more structure and more transparency as a result. At the time of writing, the flagship Sapaio contained no Merlot at all, with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot alongside the Cabernet Sauvignon.
That lighter touch reaches beyond the blend. Piccin has tried Petit Verdot in amphora, moved the vineyards towards organic farming and made the Ansonica for his wife. Above all, he has rethought his Merlot, and the current vintages point to wines built for quality and a long life.
Origin and originality
Walter Speller argued over dinner that originality comes from origin, an idea often traced back to Gaudí. Over a short span of time, Sapaio’s Bordeaux blend has taken on more of the Maremma and less of Bordeaux, and it has become a red of clarity and freshness, the kind you’d want with the glass doors slid open onto a sea view.
And if you’re ever offered a glass of Rabbit’s Paradise, you’ll know you’ve been let into the family.
Podere Sapaio
Castagneto Carducci, in the province of Livorno, in the Bolgheri zone of the Tuscan coast. Founded in 1999 by Massimo Piccin.
Bolgheri DOC (at the time of writing)
The Bolgheri DOC was created in 1983 for white and rosé wines. Red wines were added in 1994, and before that the area’s Bordeaux-style reds were sold as Vino da Tavola, and later IGT Toscana, under the “Super Tuscan” banner.
Bolgheri Rosso and Bolgheri Superiore may be made from any proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with up to 50% Syrah or Sangiovese and up to 30% of other permitted varieties. Bolgheri Rosso is released from 1 September after the harvest, while Bolgheri Superiore must be aged for two years, at least one of them in oak. Sassicaia, once a subzone, has had its own DOC since 2013.
The wines (as tasted in 2018)
Volpolo, Bolgheri DOC. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 15% Petit Verdot. 16 months in barriques and tonneaux, then 4 months in bottle. Vintages tasted: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2008.
Sapaio. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Verdot, 10% Cabernet Franc. 16 to 17 months in barriques, then 6 to 8 months in bottle. Vintages tasted: 2015 (Toscana IGT), and 2013, 2012, 2008, 2006 and 2005 (Bolgheri Superiore DOC).
Paradiso dei Conigli. Ansonica, aged in amphora. Not for sale at the time.
Thanks to Walter Speller, Podere Sapaio and the team at 67 Pall Mall.
Archive note
This post was first published in September 2018, after a dinner with Podere Sapaio hosted by Walter Speller at 67 Pall Mall in London.
Since this was written, the estate has been certified organic, and the flagship Sapaio has been sold as Toscana IGT. Paradiso dei Conigli has since appeared in reviews, so it may now be available. The story behind the wine’s name came from the dinner and I haven’t been able to confirm it. Blends, ageing and labelling are given as they were at the time and may have changed.
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