Push, shove, on the spot - I'd go for Chianti Classico as my favourite Italian wine. Sorry, Montefalco and your sagrantino, just shaded.
There's a directness of pleasure from good chianti. Not so much hedonism as a sense of everything being just right, especially alongside a plate of Italian food. Brought in by Arquilla, this 2006 vintage Chianti Classico from Castellare is 95% sangiovese and 5% canaiolo. A beautiful cork, a moment in the glass to wake up, and this was away. Red, ripe fruits - nothing purple - refreshing acids and a lick of tannin to remind you what you're drinking, but all so nicely resolved. Made eating pizza even easier than it usually is.
I would have paid about $25 for this (the Riserva version currently sells for about $60 in Australia). A bluebird on the label too. www.castellare.it
Showing posts with label Castellare di Castellina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Castellare di Castellina. Show all posts
Monday, September 12, 2011
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Castellare di Castellina Chianti Classico DOCG 2008
Just a quick look at at glass of this yesterday, with lunch at Il Bacaro in Melbourne. I usually enjoy Castellare's wines, including their vin santo. The distinctive labels featuring drawings of bird species local to their vineyard areas are attention-getting and help anchor their wines to place, for me. They have a website (you can find it here) that is packed with useful information about their history and the wines. On of the more useful Italian winery websites I have come across.
There are several tiers of sangiovese based wines, including Chianti, produced by Castellare. This wine is their entry level Chianti Classico, with the range also including a Riserva Chianti and the Il Poggiale Riserva. It is sangiovese with a little canaiolo (one of the traditional Chianti blending partners) added, but none of the 'international' varieties are used. The fruit comes off 20 year old vines grown on calcareous soils, spending seven months in old oak and six in bottle before sale.
The wine has good colour and a directness of sangivese varietal flavours, including cherry and red fruits, a little grilled nuts and dried herbs. Not trying too hard for intensity, impact or length, the wine is all the better for it, and went well with a dish of guinea fowl and vegetables. Was $16 a glass off the Il Bacaro list, but should be found at retail in Australia in the mid-$30s a bottle.
There are several tiers of sangiovese based wines, including Chianti, produced by Castellare. This wine is their entry level Chianti Classico, with the range also including a Riserva Chianti and the Il Poggiale Riserva. It is sangiovese with a little canaiolo (one of the traditional Chianti blending partners) added, but none of the 'international' varieties are used. The fruit comes off 20 year old vines grown on calcareous soils, spending seven months in old oak and six in bottle before sale.
The wine has good colour and a directness of sangivese varietal flavours, including cherry and red fruits, a little grilled nuts and dried herbs. Not trying too hard for intensity, impact or length, the wine is all the better for it, and went well with a dish of guinea fowl and vegetables. Was $16 a glass off the Il Bacaro list, but should be found at retail in Australia in the mid-$30s a bottle.
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