I Sodi di San Niccolo

I Sodi Di San Niccolo pairs well with cold cuts and meat rich in flavour, cheeses with a strong and aromatic taste, especially Pecorino Toscano and Parmigiano.

Castellare di Castellina, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, covers a total of 80 hectares - including 20 occupied by olive groves. The vineyards occupy 33 hectares on the hillsides of a natural south-east facing amphitheatre, at an average height of 370 meters above sea level. The vines are aged between 7 and over 45 years, and yields per hectare are kept very low to obtain the maximum quality. The soil is characterized by limestone marl, galestro and a little clay.

After the primary fermentation the wine rests for 24-30 months in (50% new) French barriques and 12 months in the bottle, after which it is released.

The vinification of I Sodi Di San Niccolo takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks at a temperature of 28°C for 15-20 days. Malolactic fermentation ensues.

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.