Gaja Ca’Marcanda Vistamare

Description

Gaja Ca’Marcanda Vistamare is a white wine blend produced at Gaja’s estate located in the Maremma region of southern Tuscany. It is the only white wine produced alongside three red wines: Promis, Magari and Ca’marcanda itself. It was first produced in 2009.

Gaja is quite simply one of the most famous Italian wine producers. The business was founded in 1859 in Langhe, Piedmont by Giovanni Gaja and it is his great-grandson, Angelo Gaja, who currently runs the company. They are most famous for classic Piedmont wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco. Indeed, Angelo has often been referred to as the “King of Barbaresco” and has been responsible for developing techniques that have revolutionised winemaking in Italy.

Gaja bought their first property in Tuscany called Pieve Santa Restituta in 1994 and this was swiftly followed by the second Tuscan property, Ca’Marcanda is located at Castagneto Carducci in Bolgheri, in 1996. Whereas the concentration at Pieve Santa Restituta is on more traditional wines, the focus at Ca’Marcanda is on international grape varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot) and “Super-Tuscan” style blends. The estate consists of 300 acres of vineyards, divided between Bolgheri (170 acres, bought in 1996 where the winery is located) and Bibbona (120 acres, gradually bought over the last 20 years). 

Gaja Ca’Marcanda Vistamare is bottled as a Toscana IGP. The vineyard lies on a hillside overlooking the Tyrrhenian coast and benefits from the great luminosity and the heady marine breeze of the Mediterranean. The 2023 is a blend of three different grape varieties: Vermentino, Viognier and Fiano (in previous vintages the blend has included Sauvignon Blanc and / or Semillon). This very limited production is fermented in stainless steel and then matured in a combination of stainless steel tanks and barrels for 6 months.

Why Is This Wine Called “Vistamare”?

“Vistamare” means “sea view” in Italian, and the vineyards used for Vistamare offer a panoramic view of the Tuscan horizon, where the grapes are “gently touched by the salt air and brilliant colours of the Tuscan sea”. Additionally, it serves as a tongue-in-cheek reference to less than scrupulous coastal hotel owners who market rooms with limited views of the Mediterranean as “Vistamare.”