Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
The Castellani family winery, which produces Tomaiolo, was founded in 1903 in Italy. To date, the vineyard area of ??the farm has more than 250 hectares of land in the most prestigious areas of Chianti Classico, Tuscany and the Pisa hills. Wineries have been built in each region, which makes it possible to quickly process the harvested crop, preserving the integrity of the berries, avoiding transportation.
For many years, Castellani has not used chemical fertilizers, various pesticides, and other harmful agents, both for humans and for nature. Thanks to such measures, their vineyards are environmentally friendly. The range of the company is wide and includes both classic Tuscan wines produced from Sangiovese and other grape varieties, as well as experimental rulers. In the results of studies that have published such famous world publications as the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal, the Castellani company is on the list of the top 500 Italian companies.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.