“If there is one estate that embodies the potential of Carmignano, Piaggia just might be it.”
– Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
“The Carmignano Riserva is simply the best of the appellation.”
– Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
Carmignano Riserva 2021 97VM
$44.99 on 4+ bottles*
$47.99 reg
*ok to mix & match
97 pts Vinous
Drinking Window 2028 - 2040
The 2021 Carmignano Riserva Piaggia takes its time in the glass, tempting the imagination with dried violets and flowery underbrush that evolve into peppery wild berries, autumnal spices and a dusting of cocoa. Elegant and velvety in feel, this sweeps across the palate, gaining contrast through a core of mineral-inflected yet pleasantly ripe red and black fruits. Tantalizing acidity guides the experience. The 2021 finishes with dramatic length and concentration, leaving a bitter blackberry resonance to mingle with edgy tannins, while a hint of blood orange forces the mouth to water for more. The contrasting nature and sheer depth of the 2021 leave me in awe. Bury this deep in the cellar. Drinking window: 2028 - 2040
- The flagship wine of Piaggia
- 70% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot
- Medium-textured soil with clay and galestro
- 250 m. elevation
- Southwest exposure
- Vinified separately in small vats with indigenous yeasts
- Maceration on the skins from 18-28 days, with punch downs and pump overs
- Maturation in French oak barriques for 18 months, plus six months in bottle
- No fining or filtering
- 3000 cases produced annually
il Sasso 2022 94VM
$34.99 on 4+ bottles*
$36.99 reg
*ok to mix & match
94 pts Vinous
Drinking Window 2026 - 2033
The 2021 Carmignano Il Sasso impresses with its rich bouquet of crushed plums, sage and balsamic spice. It’s pure energy on the palate, silky yet sleek with racy acidity and depths of crisp wild berry fruits, underpinned by tactile minerals and hints of tangerine. The 2021 leaves the palate refreshed, finishing structured and long as violet inner florals and blackberry notes fade. This super-seductive Il Sasso will win a lot of hearts. This is a blend of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. - By Eric Guido on October 2023
- 70% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc
- Fermentation using ambient yeasts, maceration for at least 18-20 days
- Aged in French-oak barriques for at least 15 months, plus at least 6 months in bottle before release
- 3,300 cases produced annually
Poggio de Colli Toscana IGT 2021 94VM
*100% Cabernet Franc
$59.99 on 4+ bottles*
$64.99 reg
*ok to mix & match
94 pts Vinous
Drinking Window 2025 - 2031
The 2021 Poggio de Colli, 100% Cabernet Franc, is stunning. It’s peppery and floral throughout, with masses of crushed strawberry and raspberry spiced up by tangerine zest. This impresses further with its wiry textures offset by tantalizing acidity. A core of tart wild berry fruit cascades across the palate, underscored by saline minerals and hints of citrus. Fine-grained tannins emerge through the finish as the 2021 tapers off spicy yet fresh, leaving the mouth watering despite its structure and intensity. This is a ripe vintage for Poggio de Colli, yet it is still a glorious Cabernet Franc that will pay dividends in the cellar. Drinking window: 2025 - 2031
- 100% Cabernet Franc from estate vineyards
- Soil comprised of clay and galestro
- Fermented in open top wood fermenters utilizing natural yeasts, the wine is manually punched down.
- Matured in French barriques and spends at least 6 months in bottle prior to release
- 800 cases produced annually
Piaggia
Mauro Vannucci & Family
Carmignano, Tuscany
Hidden in plain sight amongst the suburban sprawl of Florence is one of Itlay’s oldest demarcated wine regions: Carmignano DOCG
This is a wine region that was using Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet France CENTURIES before Sassicaia or Antinori. They also do not manipulate the wines in the same way that Antinori does. These lean much more into the Sassicaia style of wine than Antinori, use that as your guidepost if you will (aka they are more traditional). In 1716, Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici identified it as one of four top wine areas, creating a precursor to the modern, protected, and internationally recognized DOC system that also included a decree for Chianti.
These wines are rare in that they are priced so well compared to many other wines of this quality that have gone up at least 50% over the last few years. Piaggia was a new find for me earlier this year as I had not tried the wines yet, but our importer friend in NC that brings these in shared the il Sasso and Piaggia Riserva with us and when they tasted us we both looked at each other like “are you kidding me, what the heck are these and why have we not yet tasted these?!” The next week Ken broke his shoulder and these wines were lost in my tasting notes that hit the side burner hard at that moment!
Thankfully, a new client dropped in a couple of weeks ago and reminded me of just how good these wine are! John Fodera is a friend of a few of our long time clients, but actually found us doing a search locally to seek out the kinds of wines we offer - the old world’s best wines - Italy in particular! John is an avid Italian wine drinker, collector, writer, and most importantly, shepherd. John writes on his own website about Italian wines and cuisine called Tuscan Vines, as well as his travels to many of Italy’s top regions and producers. John travels to Italy frequently with his wife and as the head of a tour operation and can be found on the 'gram and on his website spreading the gospel of great Italian vino! John picked up an order and we talked for maybe 30 minutes about business, the industry, and our home state: New Jersey. The pictures above of the vineyards are from John’s website where he highlighted his visit to Piaggia.
Vinous Media, Eric Guido on January 2025: Arriving at the Piaggia winery, I didn’t realize that I was in store for a real treat: a mini-vertical of the Carmignano Riserva Piaggia. I’ve previously written about this wine’s ability to age, having tasted the 2000 on numerous occasions. During this visit, I tasted back to the first vintage, 1991, followed by 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and the newly released 2021. The Piaggia vineyard was planted in 1972. This was a fantastic tasting that showed the prestige of this location and demonstrated the remarkable value of the Piaggia Riserva. It’s a blue chip in the cellar. Tasting through current releases and component samples from barrel, it’s clear that Winemaker Silvia Vannucci is at the top of her game. I continue to be over the moon for the single-vineyard Il Sasso and the Poggio de Colli, a varietal Cabernet Franc that requires cellaring yet has all of the components to mature beautifully. The 2022s at Piaggia are gorgeous, showing the warmth of the vintage but also remarkable balance.
Piaggia is located right in the heart of Carmignano. The total vineyard extension is approximately 15 hectares, divided between the area of S. Cristina a Mezzana and the municipality of Poggio a Caiano, both areas with a great potential for top quality wines. Mauro Vannucci started this activity in 1990 because of his great passion for great red wines, with the aim to produce wines up to the standard of Carmignano appellation. In its 30 years of existence, Piaggia has managed to solidly establish its place among the great wineries of the classic Tuscan DOC of Carmignano, being called by Gambero Rosso “one of the best wineries in the region of Carmignano, rather, in Tuscany.”
Vineyard Management: Piaggia is a practicing organic winery. Integrated insect and disease control is followed. Organic fertilizers, copper and sulphur-based products are mainly used, but the vineyards see no insecticides or herbicides. The soil between the rows of vines is tilled. Low doses of SO2 in the wines for preservation.