Castellare di Castellina - I Sodi di San Niccolo

Castellare di Castellina - I Sodi di San Niccolo - Toscana IGT 2021

Castellare di Castellina I Sodi S. Niccolò, a historic Supertuscan

The Domini Castellare di Castellina group was created at the end of the 70s by Paolo Panerai and includes today four prestigious wineries such as the historic Castellare di Castellina in Chianti and Rocca di Frassinello, a joint-venture with Château Lafite Rothschild. All the wineries are supervised by Alessandro Cellai who was mentored by Giacomo Tachis, the famous Italian winemaker.

A winning combination that has given birth to a wide range of award-winning wines. Recently, Castellare’s flagship wine I Sodi di S. Niccolò has been included by Wine Spectator-OperaWine 2021 among the 34 best wineries in Italy that “produce world-class wines; they are leaders in their regions; and witness the diversity, heritage and authenticity that are the hallmarks of Italian wine”.

Castellare di Castellina's vineyard spreads over 33 hectares on the hillsides of a natural southeast-facing amphitheater, at an average height of 370 meters above sea level. Here, the production philosophy is based on tradition, innovation and respect for the environment. Castellare di Castellina I Sodi di S. Niccolò, is one of the few Italian Supertuscans made exclusively with native vines: 85% Sangioveto and 15% Malvasia Nera. On the label, the iconic bird, always present on the red wines of Castellare, is a symbol of the daily commitment to sustainable viticulture that the winery has been carrying out for over 40 years.

The 2021 vintage

The 2021 harvest in Tuscany was initially expected to be particularly difficult due to the prolonged lack of rainfall. Until the end of August, the outlook was not promising, but around September 10th, a drastic drop in nighttime temperatures prevented the dehydration process of the grape clusters, allowing a perfect maturation. Thanks to this change, what was expected to be a challenging vintage ultimately turned out to be excellent. The harvested grapes were of outstanding quality, especially the Sangiovese, which, being a late variety, benefited from the drop in temperatures.

Tasting notes:

“I Sodi di S. Niccolò 2021 is characterized by a great olfactory intensity and a dense and elegant texture of sweet and silky tannins. The acidity of Sangioveto gives to the wine great freshness and makes the sip particularly pleasant and crunchy, with a long and highly persistent finish. Ready immediately and, at the same time, suitable for a very long aging."
Alessandro Cellai, winemaker

Wine Spectator

byBruce Sandersonthe6/11/2025

Dark flavors of cherry, plum and blackberry are fresh, focused and framed by a light touch of toasty oak. Iron, earth, eucalyptus and tobacco notes add depth as this red plays out on the long aftertaste. Intense and resonant, with superb balance and excellent potential. Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera. Best from 2028 through 2045. 5,000 cases made, 800 cases imported.

Falstaff

byOthmar Kiemthe3/14/2025

Powerful, bright ruby. Appealing nose with fine ripe fruit, dark cherry, blackberry and plum, followed by tobacco and liquorice. Unified on the palate, lots of well-ripened berry fruit, then opens up very precisely and long with multi-layered, finely-meshed tannins, good tension and a long finish.

Decanter.com

byGeorgina Hindlethe3/3/2025

Cocoa powder and red berries on the nose, some softly ferrous notes with tobacco and rose florality. Thick and glossy but lively with lots of life and energy. This is broad and powerful, complex and muscular with flesh and chew. Tannins are grippy but they're joined by mouthwatering acidity that lifts the expression. Sun-kissed black fruit and spiced on the finish. It still feels a little compact at this stage, but is full of concentration and finesse with graphite, slate and a bloody tang on the finish. Grapes come from the best two crus of the estate. 2021 saw the latest harvest ever at the estate finishing on October 20th. Winemaker Alessandro Cellai. All I Sodi wines feature endangered bird species on the label, this one is the orange-headed bunting.

The Drink Business

byColin Haythe2/28/2025

The harvest finished here on October 20, almost three weeks later than in 2020 – and the extended hang-time really takes this to another level. Vibrantly red-fruited as is ever more evident when this is tasted in the context of a little vertical (where the other recent vintages are all darker in their fruit profile). The altitude here is crucial to the freshness and that, in turn, is what holds this wine together. Fuller and richer than the 2020; indeed, this is more voluminous than any previous recent vintage. Compact and quite powerful, dense and charged at the core. Full, but essentially soft. Chocolate and quite a distinct floral component – peonies and gladioli. There’s also a hint of medicinal herbs and a touch of TCP and iodine. In the mouth this is voluptuous. Supple, plush and with the highly tactile fine-grained spherical tannins providing considerable layering. This is quite sunny (solaire) in personality for I Sodi San Niccolo, with plenty of liquorice. On the finish there is something very ‘Sangiovese’ about the touch of the tannins that brings an additional sense of detail and pixilation. They seem also to collect in the lower layers accentuating the sense of depth. Very impressive for the vintage and quite serious, this is a wine that will need time to fully express itself aromatically. A Super Tuscan made in a way more Super by climate change. 96+. Alberelli di Giodo Nerello Mascalese 2022 (Terre Siciliane; 100% Nerello Mascalese from the upper planted slopes of Mount Etna at 950 metres above sea level; just 9000 bottles produced). An exquisite wine that is both so essentially expressive of its terroir and yet that also screams ‘Giodo’ in its clarity, focus and precision. This is incredibly luminous and the tannins are like little beads that seed a process of crystallisation in the mid-palate. Spicy, but with wild herbal notes too – eucalyptus oil, wild oregano and marjoram, maybe a little sage. The fruit is bright and crisp and crunchy – redcurrants and raspberries popping in the mouth spraying sapid fresh juice across the palate. There’s also a ferrous-manganese note to the minerality (though I suspect it comes from something altogether more volcanic). So fresh and so quaffably refreshing. As for the white, one can almost taste the altitude and the freshness of the nights that it locks into the grapes. Top value! 94+. Giodo La Quinta 2023 (IGT Toscana; 100% Sangiovese;

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

byJane Ansonthe2/28/2025

A wonderfully balanced vintage in Tuscany, and this wine, which is always one to follow, just slow burns into brilliance. What I mean by that is that there is a delicacy immediately evident, savoury broth and crushed rose petals on the opening, gentle woodsmoke and fragrant raspberry leaf and redcurrant fruits. Its tannins give a gentle caress. Alessandro Cellai winemaker, 66% new oak, 10 months in bottle after barrel ageing.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

byJane Ansonthe2/17/2025

A wonderfully balanced vintage in Tuscany, and this wine, which is always one to follow, just slow burns into brilliance. What I mean by that is that there is a delicacy immediately evident, savoury broth and crushed rosepetals on the opening, gentle woodsmoke and fragrant raspberry leaf and redcurrant fruits. Its tannins give agentle caress. Alessandro Cellai winemaker, 66% new oak, 10 months in bottle after barrel ageing.

Information:	Details:
Couleur	Rouge
Cépages	Sangiovese 85 % Malvasia Nera 15 %
Appellation	Toscana IGT
Millesime	2021
Contenance	Double Magnum (3 l)

Information:

Details:

Couleur

Rouge

Cépages

Sangiovese 85 %
Malvasia Nera 15 %

Appellation

Toscana IGT

Millesime

2021

Contenance

Double Magnum (3 l)

Un repas	Autour du repas
Un cadeau	Faire une découverte !

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Castellare di Castellina - I Sodi di San Niccolo - Toscana IGT 2021

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