2019 Castellare di Castellina 'I Sodi di San Niccolo' Toscana

• Rare Deal on Tuscany’s Cult Luxury Wine
  
• "Polished & Precise. Flows Beautifully" ~97 Falstaff
• "This Has Always Been a Top Tuscan Red" ~96JS
• Wine Spectator Top 100 Multiple Times
• Highly Allocated & Exclusive Wine 
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About the Wine

Some wines tell a story. Others are the story.

Back in the 1970s, when the so-called Renaissance of Italian wine was just beginning, Paolo Panerai had a radical idea. While everyone else in Tuscany was racing to blend in Cabernet and Merlot to compete with Bordeaux, he decided to take the harder path. He would make a wine using only indigenous Tuscan grapes—Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera—to prove that Tuscany didn’t need to borrow from anyone. The world didn’t need another Bordeaux copy. What it needed was a wine that could stand tall on its own, a wine that would take Chianti Classico’s soul and elevate it to something even greater.

The land itself seemed to agree. The vineyards of Castellare di Castellina sit on sodi—hard, unforgiving soils that force the vines to struggle, digging deep into the earth for survival. That struggle gives birth to greatness, producing wines of structure, intensity, and elegance. It’s no wonder that the very first vintage of I Sodi di San Niccolò didn’t just impress—it shook the wine world. In 1988, when Wine Spectator released its first-ever Top 100 list, I Sodi di San Niccolò placed sixth in the world, outranking some of the most legendary names in France. It wasn’t a fluke. The next vintage repeated the feat, cementing its status as the true aristocrat of Tuscany.

The journey didn’t stop there. Great wine attracts great minds, and Panerai’s passion for perfection led him to one of the most influential wine families of all time: the Rothschilds of Bordeaux. When Edmond de Rothschild, already a shareholder in Château Lafite, decided to create something new—his own Lafite for the modern era—he invited Panerai and legendary oenologist Emile Peynaud to Château Clarke to explore the question: What makes a wine truly great? The answer was clear: passion, patience, and the relentless pursuit of perfection.

Fast-forward to today, and the 2019 vintage is another chapter in this legend. This is Sangioveto in its purest, most noble form, with Malvasia Nera adding just a whisper of mystery. The wine is deep, complex, and effortlessly powerful, filled with dark cherry, cassis, wild herbs, and the scent of sun-warmed earth after a summer rain. The tannins are structured but polished, the acidity vibrant, promising decades of evolution.

This is not a wine that rushes. It is a wine that rewards patience, a wine that speaks of its land, its history, and its ambition with every sip. From the hard Chianti hills to the refined cellars where it matures, I Sodi di San Niccolò is a monument to tradition, passion, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. It has no need for shortcuts, no desire to be anything but itself.

And that is exactly why it belongs in your collection.

Tasting Notes

Sangioveto (85%-90%) and Malvasia nera (15-10%). 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.

Critical Reviews

Clear ruby with a fine garnet sheen. Impressive nose, very finely drawn, aromas of juicy cherries, blood orange and dried thyme, some liquorice in the background. Polished and precise from the attack to the finish, finely-meshed, very well-integrated tannins, flows beautifully, finely worked out fruit, long finish. ~97 Falstaff

Complex and deeply embedded aromas of ripe blackberries, spices and aromatic bark. Full-bodied and very firm for now, with impressive concentration of fruit and tannin. Very long, balanced finish. Great to taste now, but this is one for the cellar. Patience will be rewarded. Sangiovese and Malvasia Nera. This has always been a top Tuscan red. Best from 2027. ~96 James Suckling

Super fragranced nose, patchouli, pot pourri, Turkish Delight, rose with caramelised red berries and a touch of smoke and incense - all quiet forward and expressive. The nose alone you could smell for hours such is its complexity and beguiling nature. Powerful and concentrated on the palate, this is broad and muscular, sinewy with depth and determination. Tannins are well integrated, really giving the support to the fruit and acidity, driving the flavours forward despite the clear weight and hold. Fragranced red berries continue on the palate with a touch of stone, graphite and matchstick. Rich and big on the mid palate, becoming more focussed towards the finish. Cleary well made with lots going on. Acidity is great, it's cool, clean, sleek and packed full of flavour. Almost too much, this is a big wine, so needs time, but has lots of appeal and mouthwatering freshness throughout. Released on the 9th March. Director and winemaker Alessandro Cellai. ~96 Decanter

The 2019 I Sodi di San Niccolò is another fabulous wine from Castellare. At this stage, the 2019 is an infant. The purity of the fruit is compelling. Despite its considerable intensity, the 2019 appears to have less forbidding tannins than in many years, which should allow it to drink well with minimal cellaring. Blood orange, sweet spice, leather and cedar linger on the stylish finish. ~95 Vinous Media

An intense, vibrant red marked by haunting scents of violet, black cherry, blackberry, wild rosemary, eucalyptus and iron. Supple and open, yet with solid structure underneath. This wine's precision balance renders it approachable now, yet this will be better in two to three years. Spicy aftertaste. Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera. Best from 2026 through 2047. 2,500 cases made, 800 cases imported. ~95 Wine Spectator

This is a long-celebrated blend of 85% Sangioveto (another name for Sangiovese) and 15% Malvasia Nera from one of the headline estates of Castellina in Chianti. The Castellare di Castellina 2019 I Sodi di S. Niccolò (with 55,000 bottles released) opens to soft texture and medium weight with dark aromas of blackcurrant and cherry. Those aromas show an earthy or savory side that comes through to the palate. The wine closes with sweet tannins, and this vintage boasts a solid build overall. ~95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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