Castellare di Castellina
Castellare di Castellina's flagship Cru blends about 90% Sangioveto with Malvasia Nera from limestone soils at 430m above Castellina in Chianti. Aged 24 to 30 months in barrique, half new, it is a polished, age-worthy Super Tuscan of ripe morello che
Castellare describes an intense ruby colour and a concentrated nose of ripe red fruit edging into preserve, with sweet spice, vanilla and liquorice, over the dense, sweetly-tannic palate the I Sodi vineyard's limestone gives the Sangioveto.
Intense ruby moving to garnet, with the concentrated nose Castellare flags: ripe morello cherry and plum edging into preserve, lifted by violet and the sweet spice, vanilla and liquorice of half-new barrique. With age the I Sodi vineyard's limestone gives a balsamic, forest-floor lift that Vivino drinkers consistently note.
Violet
Black cherry
Cherry
Plum
Tobacco
Forest Floor
Leather
Liquorice
VanillaThe palate is dense and elegant, framed by the bright acidity Sangioveto keeps even at 14% from these 430-metre vineyards. Tannins are firm but, as the producer puts it, sweet and fully integrated after long ageing, carrying ripe black cherry and a savoury leather-and-tobacco edge. It is structured rather than soft, built around fruit and freshness more than oak.
The finish is long and persistent, closing on amarena, sweet spice and a fine mineral grip from the limestone soils.
Castellare's single-vineyard flagship and one of the original Super Tuscans, it sits at the top of the range and rewards cellaring. Vivino's crowd rates it 4.3 across recent vintages, praising its elegance and balsamic complexity while noting it needs time.
Two vintages are listed here, the 2019 and 2020, from UK and EU merchants between roughly £65 and £85. Stock is thin: this is a small-quantity Cru made from only 40 to 45 quintals per hectare.
A benchmark Tuscan red built for the table and the cellar, it scores high for food and occasion and lower for everyday value at £65 plus.
Bright Sangiovese acidity and firm, integrated tannin make it a classic table red for red meat, ragù and aged cheese.
A benchmark Super Tuscan from a famed Cru, ideal for a special table or as a gift.
24 to 30 months in barrique, a year in bottle and 15-plus years of cellar potential put it firmly in collector territory.
A textbook Sangiovese profile, but its firm tannin, barrique spice and need for cellar time suit experienced drinkers more.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Toscana denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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The 2019 comes from a vintage Tuscany rates as outstanding for Sangiovese; the warmer 2020 is good and a touch riper. Both spend 24 to 30 months in barrique and a year in bottle before release.
2020 was a warm, drier Tuscan year giving a slightly riper, rounder Sodi. Good now with air, with cellar potential through the 2030s.
Tuscany's 2019 is widely rated an outstanding Sangiovese vintage, balanced and classically structured. After 24 to 30 months in barrique this Sodi drinks well from 2024 and holds past 2035.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
First made in 1977 and named by the critic Luigi Veronelli for the stony 'sodi' soils around the San Niccolò chapel, this Cru proved Sangioveto's class blended with Malvasia Nera. The 1985 ranked sixth in Wine Spectator's first Top 100.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Toscana is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Toscana falls within Tuscany , covering Tuscany.
Castellare's most important Cru, from one stony limestone site above Castellina in Chianti; site-specific fruit, not a blended-estate bottling, lifts the base cost.
The producer caps yield at 40 to 45 q/ha, far below IGT limits, so each vine makes less wine and the per-bottle cost rises.
Half-new barriques plus a year in bottle tie up oak and capital for over three years before the wine is released.
A 1977-born original Super Tuscan whose 1985 ranked sixth in Wine Spectator's first Top 100 carries a clear reputation premium.
UK excise of £2.67 per still bottle at 14% ABV plus 20% VAT is roughly £15 of a £75 shelf price before any margin.
Tiny production reaches the UK in small parcels through a short importer-to-retailer chain, adding handling cost per bottle versus a high-volume label.
Dishes that complement this wine
Castellare points to salumi, savoury meats and aged Tuscan Pecorino and Parmigiano. The bright Sangiovese acidity and firm, sweet tannin also carry grilled and braised red meat.
The firm, integrated Sangiovese tannin binds the protein and char of grilled red meat, while 14% body stands up to a rare T-bone. Fat and salt soften the tannin so the fruit shows.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Tagliata · Grilled lamb · Porchetta · More pairings →
Sangiovese's bright acidity mirrors the acidity of tomato and slow-cooked meat sauce, keeping a rich ragù fresh rather than heavy. A classic central-Italian table match.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · Pici · Pappardelle al ragù · Pasta sugo di carne · More pairings →
Acidity and tannin cut the fat and salt of hard, aged cheese, the producer's own go-to pairing. Mature Pecorino Toscano and Parmigiano echo the wine's savoury depth.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · Aged Pecorino Toscano · Parmigiano Reggiano · More pairings →
The tertiary forest-floor and leather notes of a maturing Sodi bridge to earthy mushrooms and game, while the medium-full body matches their weight without burying them.
Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Truffle risotto · Roast game · More pairings →
The sweet barrique spice and vanilla bridge the rosemary and fennel of Tuscan roast pork, while acidity keeps the rich, fatty meat lively on the palate.
Try with: Porchetta · Roast pork loin · Herb-roasted chicken · More pairings →
Firm tannin overwhelms delicate raw fish and shellfish, turning metallic, and chilli heat amplifies the tannin and 14% alcohol so the wine reads hot and hard.
Skip with: Sushi · Oysters · Vindaloo · Sweet-and-sour pork · Pairing guide →
Merchants and the producer both flag 15 years or more of cellar life. The 2019 should drink from around 2024 and hold into the late 2030s; decant young bottles to open the barrique spice.
Peak around 2030. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
24 to 30 months in barrique, a year in bottle and 15-plus years of cellar potential put it firmly in collector territory.
£65.49 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 14:25 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumIt is a Super Tuscan blend of roughly 85 to 90% Sangioveto (the Castellare name for Sangiovese) with 10 to 15% Malvasia Nera, grown on limestone soils at around 430 metres near Castellina in Chianti and released as Toscana IGT.
No. Although it comes from the Castellina in Chianti hills, it is bottled as Toscana IGT rather than Chianti Classico, because the Malvasia Nera share and the barrique ageing sit outside the Chianti rules. It is one of the original Super Tuscans, first made in 1977.
It is built to cellar. After 24 to 30 months in barrique and a year in bottle before release, the 2019 drinks well from around 2024 and holds for 15 years or more, a long life both merchants and the producer flag.
Castellare suggests salumi, savoury meats and aged cheeses, especially Tuscan Pecorino and Parmigiano. Its Sangiovese acidity and firm tannin also handle bistecca alla fiorentina, lamb ragù and porchetta.
It is Castellare's single-vineyard flagship, made from very low yields of 40 to 45 quintals per hectare, half-new French barriques and long ageing. The 1985 ranked sixth in Wine Spectator's first Top 100, and UK prices sit around £65 to £85.
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