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2016 Castellare di Castellina I Sodi di San Niccolò

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Latest Sale Price

January 7, 2024 - $70

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RATINGS

98Vinous / IWC

...rush of inky dark fruit, lavender, spice, licorice, gravel, blueberry and menthol builds as the 2016 shows off its exceptional balance and pedigree. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2016 needs a few years in bottle to fully come together. Even so, the 2016 has been nothing less than spectacular on the two occasions I have tasted it so far. In a word: monumental. (September 2020)

96+ The Wine Advocate

...shows enormous purity and focus, with specific aromas that remind you of its Tuscan origins. Those aromas are very Mediterranean in character with rosemary and crushed lavender, followed by wild cherry, dried raspberry and cassis. The tannins are elegant and finely integrated, and the wine leaves nothing but long, polished sensations behind.

96Wine Spectator

The initial impression is the charred, sweet oaky aromas, then aeration quickly reveals black cherry, plum, leather, tobacco, wild herb and iron flavors...dense, dusty tannins, yet this is complex, balanced and long, with an acetic feel to the lingering finish.

95James Suckling

A full, layered red with blueberry and blackberry character and hints of walnuts. It’s rich and juicy...depth and polish at the end.

91Wine Enthusiast

...aromas of cedar, leather, French oak and a whiff of underbrush. Linear and on the lighter end of medium-bodied, the palate offers juicy Morello cherry, blood orange, coffee bean and ground clove before grainy tannins grip the close.

REGION

Italy, Tuscany

Tuscany, or Toscana in Italian, is Italy’s best-known wine region and its most diverse. Historically Sangiovese was the primary grape grown in Tuscany and Chianti was considered the purest expression of Sangiovese. Sangiovese and its many clones are still important, and they are the grapes used for the Tuscan appellations of Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano, Chianti, Chianti Classico and Carmignano. But in the last 50 years innovative producers, many of them in southwestern Tuscany in the area called Maremma, have also planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The tradition defying producers have blended those varietals with Sangiovese to produce dazzling wines that do not conform to Italy’s appellation regulations. Such wines are called Super Tuscans and cannot be labeled with either of Italy’s highest level quality designations, which are in order of status Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantia, (DOCG), and Denominazione di Origine Controllata, (DOC). (This has not at all hindered the demand for Super Tuscans, some of which are consistently among the world’s most admired and well-reviewed wines.) Tuscany has six DOCG appellations and thirty-four DOCs. Though famous for its red wines, Tuscany also produces whites made primarily from Trebbiano and Vernaccia. There are also many Tuscan Indicazione Geographica Tipica (IGT) wines that are often an innovative blend of traditional and non-traditional grapes. This relatively new appellation status was started in 1992 as an attempt to give an official classification to Italy’s many newer blends that do fit the strict requirements of DOC and DOCG classifications. IGT wines may use the name of the region and varietal on their label or in their name.