2016 Castiglion del Bosco Toscana Chardonnay

Castiglion del Bosco is in the Val d’Orcia, a vineyard region in Tuscany near Montalcino. The area was once bisected by the road that led Christian pilgrims from Canterbury to Rome, and its abbey and town made it a prosperous valley in the Middle Ages. By the late 19th century the Castiglion del Bosco estate was growing the Sangiovese clone that produces Brunello di Montalcino, and by the 1970s the estate was one of the pioneering producers of well-crafted Brunello di Montalcino, now one of Tuscany’s most admired wines. In 2003 the estate was purchased by Massimo Ferragamo, a son of the late Salvatore Ferragamo, founder of the Ferragamo shoe empire. Massimo Ferragamo updated the winery and added a luxury resort and golf course. Castiglion del Bosco owns 150 vineyard acres in Montalcino, and 25 vineyard acres in Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast. The estate’s most famous wine is the Brunello di Montalcino.

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.

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.