Situated on the lower slopes of Lepini Mountains in southeastern Lazio, around 50km south of Rome, the ancient hilltop village of Cori dates all the way back to the fourth century B.C. and was supposedly settled almost 300 years prior to the Italian capital. It is here that the Carpineti family have for generations now tended to a patchwork of grape vines, today led by current-day patriarch Marco Caprinetti, who has guided the estate forward since taking the reins in 1986. Having converted the entire property to organic viticulture in the mid 1990’s, Marco is now employing biodynamic principles both among his vines and in the cantina, the estate also doubling as a ‘vine nursery’ of sorts, with the vineyards playing home to some of the few plantings of obscure varietals like Nero Buono, Greco Moro and Bellone still remaining anywhere in the country.
Marco’s ‘Capolemole’ Bianco (isn’t that just fun to say?) is one of those rare wines that finds itself at the intersection of cerebral nerd-factor, and just downright delicious. Comprised entirely of the rare and ancient Bellone varietal (found almost exclusively in this corner of Lazio), grown in Cori’s tuffriddled volcanic soils, the wine is uber refreshing, highly textural, and no-nonsense stuff - the kind of wine that would fit perfectly amidst a heavily laden table at your favorite Roman trattoria (which oddly enough, is where I first encountered this wine.) Radiating with taute, golden stone fruits, bitter almonds, and a streak of oxidative savoriness, the Capolemole’s waxy texture draws long across the palate, carrying a blossomy, vanilla-inflected richness through the mouth, punctuated with brighter elements of pickled citrus rind and iced jasmine tea.