Tommaso and Roberto Cavalli have combined their farming and fashion expertise for their new wine.

Italian Fashion Icon Roberto Cavalli Releases First Wine

New super Tuscan made by renowned Italian enologist Carlo Ferrini is a blend from two sites

Jo Cooke

Posted: Tuesday, November 27, 2007

On the evening of Nov. 17, members of high society gathered at the Florentine villa of world-famous Italian stylist Roberto Cavalli. But this was no ordinary fashion-related soirée. The crowd had assembled to celebrate the launch of Cavalli's debut Tuscan red wine, Degli Dei Toscana IGT Cavalli Selection 2004.

The launch is the culmination of an eight-year collaboration between Cavalli and his son, Tommaso, who, for the last 20 years, has run the family's racehorse stud farm, Tenuta Degli Dei, located in Panzano in Chianti, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. Tommaso oversaw the planting of 25 hectares of vines, divided equally between the Degli Dei estate and the grounds surrounding his father's villa in the hills south of Florence. He enlisted the help of renowned Tuscan enologist Carlo Ferrini, whose team has followed the project from its conception.

"Working with grapes from two different areas adds to the complexity of the wine," said Ferrini. "The grapes from Florence give immediate, pleasant fruit, whereas those from Panzano add balance, structure and length." Production of the first vintage was limited, with only a total of 500 cases made. According to Ferrini, production of the wine will increase steadily in the upcoming vintages.

Cavalli Selection is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Alicante Bouschet, aged in small oak barrels for 18 months, followed by a further 12 months in bottle before release. The wine comes in two different packages: Cavalli Selection and a special bottling, limited to 2,000 bottles, called Cavalli Collection. The label of the Cavalli Selection will, each vintage, include a different Roberto Cavalli design; the choice for the debut 2004 vintage is the leopard-skin texture that featured in the Roberto Cavalli 1996 Spring/Summer collection. The Cavalli Collection version is the same wine, but comes in an avant-garde unlabelled black bottle, featuring an "RC" emblem embossed in brass.

Tommaso said that he has never felt the urge to follow in his father's footsteps. "I have always been fascinated more by the country than fashion," he said. "My dream is to hear people talking about this wine, not because of its 'dress' or its name, but because of its quality."

James Suckling, Wine Spectator's European bureau chief, rated the wine at 90 points in a blind tasting this past summer. His tasting note reads, "Very ripe with exotic fruit character and coffee, dark chocolate undertones. Full-bodied, with big velvety tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Beautiful, well-crafted wine." The first vintage will only be sold locally, but the Cavallis hope to export future vintages as their production volume increases.

The wine is Roberto Cavalli's second foray into the drinks market. In 2006, he launched Roberto Cavalli Vodka, made in Italy, with an opaque bottle that features a snake curling around its contours.

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