Castellare di Castellina, Tuscany, Italy
The rolling vineyards of Castellare di Castellina
Castellare di Castellina, in the heart of Chianti Classico
Castellare di Castellina was founded in the 1970s when the ‘Renaissance’ of Italian wine commenced. A Renaissance to which Castellare made its own contribution with a combination of tradition and innovation.
The estate covers a total of 80 hectares - including 20 hectares planted to olive groves, while its 42 hectares of hillside vineyards form a natural south-east facing amphitheatre, at an average height of 370 meters above sea level.
Born from the union of four estates (Castellare, Caselle, San Niccolò and Le Case) it is thanks to the care and initiative of its’ owner Paolo Panerai, attentive to the tradition of the Chianti Classico appellation, planting only indigenous Tuscan grape varieties to produce wines of excellence.
Innovation was pursued with the creation of the first experimental vineyard in the Chianti region directed by viticulturalist Professor Attilio Scienza of the the University of Milan together with the University of Florence, implementing the first scientific selection of Sangiovese clones (called Sangioveto). Innovation was achieved by introducing the use of the barrique, following the in-depth research and advice of Emile Peynaud, the most renowned oenologist in living memory.
Tradition in caring for its vineyards and terrains, distinguishing between fields and sodi "hard", stony soils - the best for growing vines. It is precisely here in these hard ‘galestro’ soils that the heritage 56-year-old single vineyard was planted to create a world-wide renowned label, I Sodi di San Nicolò IGT Sangiovese with 15% Malvasia Nera, which thrives as the estates’ most resilient and authentic example of Sangiovese, producing the estates top label.
“The synergy of tradition, innovation and soils are the perfect combination to enhance the resilience of this prestigious old vine which gives life to a beautifully balanced, textured age-worthy wine of extreme elegance,” says CEO and winemaker Alessandro Cellai.
Out of respect for nature no synthetic chemicals are used in the Castellare vineyards to ensure the production of sustainable wines. This philosophy is reflected in the labels, which every year carry a drawing of a different bird found to be increasingly rare, due to the indiscriminate use of poisons and herbicides in vineyards.
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