Fattoria Kappa

Wine-mad Viennese photographer drives through Italy, sees a hill near Grosseto and dreams of his own vineyard. Back in Vienna he meets his friend, business journalist, who was just unhappy about the stock market and asks him if he doesn't know someone who wants to invest in a vineyard in Tuscany. "Actually, I do" Stephan Klasmann didn't think long about it, because it would be great to have a retirement home close to the sea, which might also bring in something. That was in 1999. Red wines from Tuscany, especially from the Maremma, were booming.

Career changers make a dream come true. All Paletti? No, I'm not. Because the economist began to calculate. Asked friendly winegrowers. And he quickly realized that the hill was beautifully situated, but difficult to manage. No cantina, no water, so investments far too high. In addition, the region near the nature reserve by the sea near Grosseto was still completely unknown at that time. Only today, almost twenty years later, a few wineries are successful here. At that time it was the region around Bolgheri, which was crossed by Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Michele Satta & Co. had become famous.

So they drove through the Maremma and were immediately enthusiastic about the wines from the cooler locations around Bolgheri. They met the oenologist Andrea di Maio, who had worked at one of the best wineries in the Chianti area, Isole e Olena, and at Antinori's winery in Bolgheri, Guado al Tasso - and who is therefore very familiar with the Bolgheri area. In 2004 some small vineyards could be leased, as the crow flies less than four kilometres from the sea, with an ideal location and a constant sea breeze that aerates the rows. The soil is varied: sandy loamy, but also clay and weathered, ferruginous red gravel. In 2005 the first wine was produced, vinified quasi as a subtenant in a friendly cantina, which was presented in 2007 and immediately became a hit in the gastronomy with its completely own, drinking style.

Gradually it was possible to acquire some vineyards and from the 2007 vintage the Fattoria moved to its own winery near Castellina Marittima. Photographer Manfred Klimek left the company, Stephan Klasmann and Andrea di Maio took over his shares. However, he is still on board as a consultant and taster for the composition of the cuvée.

The cliché of drop-outs turned into a serious vineyard by 2010 at the latest, when the opportunity arose to enter into a long-term lease with an agricultural estate in the north of Bolgheri and the original 4 hectares became an impressive 14 hectares. And at almost 400m above sea level, in a region with strong day-night temperature changes, which is excellent for the development of a juicy fruit in wine. Here the soils are even more meagre, stony, weathered, mineral, partly interspersed with slate and shell limestone, which provides for an elegant, more delicate structure.

The vineyards are cultivated close to nature with much manual work, yield only approx. 4500kg per hectare. Hand-picked into small crates, followed by second manual selection on the vibrating table. 20% of the grapes are not destemmed, but fermented with the stems. The grapes are kicked barefoot to extract the juice as gently as possible. Fermented spontaneously without pure yeast and without temperature control in 1,000 litre vats. Depending on the vintage and variety, the maceration period is 2-4 weeks, after which Lambda is matured for 12 months in used 500l Tonnaux and 8 months in stainless steel tanks. The kappa is allowed to mature in wood for 18 months - 15% of the barrels are new every year - and then rests in a cement tank for a few months. All wines are bottled without momentum and filtration.

Currently in production are Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Sangiovese and a little Petit Verdot. In the future there will also be small quantities of white wine, Vermentino and some Viognier in their own vineyard. One can be curious. SUPERIORE.DE