Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
type), and other high-yielding varieties, all of
which resemble Canaiolo Nero phenotypically
but have far poorer winemaking potential. In
this way, Canaiolo Nero's reputation was
greatly tarnished with producers everywhere.
Even today, Canaiolo Nero is mistaken for
other varieties, particularly
Colorino
s, grape
varieties that add color to wines but often little
else. In fact, in northern coastal Tuscany, grow-
ers believe that two different biotypes of
Canaiolo Nero exist in the area, Merla and Tin-
toretto. Clearly the latter is a coloring variety,
given its name. This situation is not uncom-
mon: at the world-famous Lungarotti estate in
Umbria, where for decades the famous
Rubesco wine has been labeled as 70 percent
Sangiovese and 30 percent Canaiolo Nero, they
are now aware that their supposed Canaiolo
Nero is Colorino del Valdarno instead. In fact,
much of the Umbrian so-called Canaiolo Nero
used in blends such as Rosso Orvietano is one
of the many
Colorino
s instead, though as this
is a fairly recent discovery that even most Ital-
ians aren't aware of, you'll still fi nd it written
everywhere that Canaiolo Nero is quite abun-
dant in Umbria as well as in Tuscany. Wine-
maker Lorenzo Landi confi rms that this was a
mistake made all over Umbria, and he also
believes that much of the Canaiolo Nero
planted in Umbria is in fact one of the
Colori-
no
s. Now that I know this, I can't say I am at all
surprised: over the years, I tasted many
Umbrian “Canaiolo Nero” wines that struck
me as being very unlike Canaiolo Nero, though
I thought it was due to a specifi c, different tast-
ing Umbrian biotype. Landi's hypothesis
makes sense, since the aroma and fl avor pro-
fi les of those Umbrian wines (namely an obvi-
ous green streak t hat in my ex per ience canaiolo
nero wines rarely show) really do resemble
those of the
Colorino
s.
Problems aside, most producers and wine-
makers admit that Canaiolo Nero has qualities
that have gone unappreciated. “There just isn't
enough good Canaiolo Nero to go around,” says
Castelli, “so people never get the chance to see
what the grape can really deliver. I use it when-
ever I can. Normally at Badia di Coltibuono we
include 3-4 percent in the regular Chianti Clas-
sico, but sometimes that percentage creeps
upwards, like 10 percent in 2004.” Filippo Roc-
chi of Castelvecchio, a high-quality estate in the
Chianti Colli Fiorentini with another star wine-
maker, Luca D'Attoma, is a believer: “It's an
underrated variety that gives wines that sur-
prise for their elegance and drinkability.” Roc-
chi owns forty-year-old vines that look different
from most other Canaiolo Nero: the bunches
and berries are smaller and more loosely
packed. Perhaps he's just fortunate to own a
higher-quality biotype. “I think that some of
the viticultural Darth Vader reputation is exag-
gerated,” jokes Sebastiano Capponi, owner of
the high-quality Villa Calcinaia estate in Greve
in Chianti, another individual who thinks
Canaiolo Nero is a great variety. He explains
that “Canaiolo Nero is easy to spot in the vine-
yards because it grows erect, straight up in the
air: if it were up to my vineyard workers, I'd be
growing only Canaiolo Nero.” Canaiolo Nero
does very well in light-red sandy soils such as
those of Barberino Val d'Elsa in Chianti Clas-
sico, where Castello della Paneretta owns some
of the best Canaiolo vines of Italy, though Roc-
chi thinks it does best in soils containing at
least a bit of gravel mixed with a little clay. As
Bandinelli, whose name is more usually associ-
ated with Sangiovese, told me while we walked
through vineyards together one day, “I believe
Canaiolo Nero is a major grape variety in all
respects.”
Canaiolo Nero is not the only colorful
member of the family. Of course, Canaiolo
Bianco is not a true
Canaiolo
at all, but Dr upeg-
gio, a distinct native Umbrian variety, and is
therefore discussed separately (see
CANAIOLO BIANCO, chapter 5). For its part,
Canaiolo Rosa is a mutation of Canaiolo Nero,
though strangely enough, it is listed as a sepa-
rate variety in the National Registry, at number
314. Its exact birthplace is unknown, but is
thought to be either the Montecarlo or Rig-
nano sull'Arno (near Florence) areas. Today its
presence is limited to only a few vines in the
