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Carmignano

From Vinismo

Carmignano is an official DOCG appellation of Tuscany, Italy.

Carmignano is a tiny area with just a handful of producers - in fact, it’s Italy’s smallest appellation.

Carmignano became a DOCG in 1988. But it remains a bit obscure because it is so teeny.

edit Tasting

Carmignano is the original super-tuscan. By law today a Carmignano must be 50% sangiovese and 10 to 20% cabernet sauvignon or cabernet franc. Other allowable grapes: canaiolo, malvasia and trebbiano.

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• Varietals: sangiovese (at least 50%), Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Canaiolo, Malvasia, Trebbiano.

edit History

Carmignano is unique in Tuscany in that they have been growing Cabernet Sauvignon there since the 16th century. It’s said that Catherine de Medicis brought cabernet to the area when she was Queen of France. Now (since the 70s), of course, cabernet is grown all over Tuscany and blended with sangiovese, which cannot, then, be called (for instance) Chianti – the so-called super-tuscans.

The Carmignano appellation was actually legislated out of existence in the 1930s, when Tuscany was slapping the word Chianti on everything; it was renamed Chianti Montalbano (the Carmignano area is on the eastern slopes of Monte Albano). The owner of the largest estate in Carmignano campaigned, in the 70s, to have the name reinstated. They kept the Chianti Montalbano appellation and just added Carmignano, including in the law the cabernet percentages, thus recognizing the traditional use of the French varietal.

edit Geography

edit Climate

edit Viticulture

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edit Producers