Intense red with hints of garnet. Deeply sophisticated and showcasing its full pedigree in terms of both the bouquet and palate of the wine. The fruit quality is exceptional and each individual aroma can be distinguished with total clarity, from the cherry to the spices, whose focus and integration are exceptional.
Castellare di Castellina was born of the union of four estates (Castellare, Caselle, San Niccolò and Le Case) on the initiative of Paolo Panerai, with the aim of producing wine of the best possible quality. This was in the 1970s, when the so-called Renaissance of Italian wine had begun. A Renaissance to which Castellare made its own contribution with a combination of tradition and innovation.
Tradition in caring for its vineyards and terrains, distinguishing between fields and sodi (in which fields are the more easily worked terrains and sodi - "hard" soils - are the hardest but the best for growing vines), in its decision to continue producing wine according to the Tuscan method, and in its respect of the Chianti Classico denomination - only using indigenous Tuscan grape varieties to produce a wine that is internationally acknowledged as one of the greatest reds in the world.
Innovation was pursued first of all with the creation of the first experimental vineyard in the Chianti region together with the University of Milan - directed by Professor Attilio Scienza - and the University of Florence, implementing the first scientific selection of Sangiovese clones (here called Sangioveto). And then by introducing the use of the barrique, following the in-depth research and advice of Emile Peynaud, the most renowned oenologist in living memory, as well as by paying constant attention to each ongoing wine-making process in the incessant, ever-evolving work of producing quality wines.
This is a story that demonstrates how tradition, also in the installations, and innovation can draw the best out of the land, showing the younger generations how the hard work and lives of the Mezzadri - the people who once ran the estates as neither owners nor labourers - has been fundamental in shaping the extraordinary landscape of the Chianti. To the Mezzadri and their work Castellare has dedicated a sculpture by Matteo Spender, which stands in the centre of Castellina. The two photos by the great portrait photographer Giuseppe Pino illustrate this sacrifice, but also the joy that making wine brings with it.
Pairing Suggestions: Pairs well with cold cuts and meat rich in flavour, cheeses with a strong and aromatic taste, in particular, Pecorino Toscano and Parmigiano.
Maturation: The manual harvest of the grapes took place in the first week of October and the bunches, placed in small boxes to avoid crushing, were immediately placed on the selection table for the sorting and subsequent destemming of the berries. Alcoholic fermentation took place in steel tanks, separately for the two varieties, at around 25 ° C for 7 days. Following, about 20 days of maceration on the skins and then malolactic fermentation. the wine was then transferred to new barriques (2/3 new and 1/3 used) for a period of about 30 months. At the end of the ageing in wood, the blend was carried out and, after a short period in the tank, was bottled where it rested 10 months before being sold on the market.
