This Merlot offers aromas of roasted coffee bean, toasted oak and vanilla. The assertive palate features blackberry jam, espresso and licorice alongside grainy tannins. Producer Information Castellare di Castellina is a Tuscan wine estate located near to the town of Castellina in the heart of the Chianti Classico zone. Its flagship wine is I Sodi di San Niccolo, a Toscana IGT wine made predominantly from Sangiovese with a small amount of Malvasia Nera, in the spirit of the region's famous Super Tuscan wines. The wine has twice made the annual Wine Spectator Top 100 and regularly achieves the top Tre Bicchiere (Three Glass) award from the Gambero Rosso guide. The estate was founded in 1968 with the merger of five small farms. Today, there are around 30 hectares (74 acres) of vineyards planted in a southeast-facing hillside at Castellare di Castellina, on limestone marl soils. In the winery, the fruit is vinified in modern, temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, and for the top wines, aging takes place in French oak barriques. Castellare di Castellina makes three Chianti Classico DOCG wines – a standard wine, a Riserva and a single-vineyard Riserva Il Poggiale – which form the bulk of the estate's annual 250,000 bottle output. It also makes varietal wines from both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the Coniale IGT Toscana and the Poggio Ai Merli, respectively. The 33 Vendimie is a blend of these two wines with the I Sodi di San Niccolo. There are three white wines in the portfolio as well – a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, and a blend of the two. The company now also owns the Feudi di Pisciotto and Gurra di Mare estates in Sicily, and, in partnership with Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) of Bordeaux, Rocca di Frassinelli in the Maremma region of coastal Tuscany.
