Casaloste Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG

Casaloste Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG

100 percent Sangiovese from two top vineyards

The Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Casaloste has only been available since the 2011 vintage. This very special wine was actually born out of a "heated" situation. 2011 was a particularly hot summer and it was not possible to use the grapes from the very sunny Gran Selezione vineyard, as the alcohol levels would simply have been too high. But Giovanni d'Orsi kept a "cool head" and opted for a blend with grapes from a somewhat cooler vineyard. And so the new Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Casaloste was born. It consists of 100 percent Sangiovese grapes from different vineyards. The grapes are vinified in stainless steel tanks with a capacity of 50 hectoliters. This is followed by malolactic fermentation in used and new oak barrels and a maturation period of 18 months. And last but not least, there are at least 12 months of bottle ageing. Once uncorked, the Gran Selezione pampers the nose with spicy notes and delights the eye with its deep ruby red color.

The Fattoria Casaloste: On the banks of the Greve in Panzano in Chianti

In 1992, Giovanni d'Orsi, his wife Emilia and their three children left their hometown of Naples. Why? Quite simply because Emilia and he had fallen in love with a vineyard in Panzano in the heart of the Chianti Classico. More specifically, the small Casaloste vineyard, which they bought without further ado. They lovingly renovated the little house on it into a little gem. And Giovanni - a trained agronomist and oenologist - set to work in the vineyards with the same energy. His aim was to produce organic wines that do not deny their Tuscan roots and at the same time have the potential to become top wines. Casaloste owns a total of 19 hectares of land, of which around 10.5 hectares are planted with vines and two hectares with olive trees.

The organic pioneers in the organic district of Panzano in Chianti

Casaloste was the first officially certified organic wine estate in Panzano in 1994 - and thus a pioneer for the "Panzano organic district" proclaimed by the world press. Naturally, Fattoria Casaloste is also a member of the Unione di Viticoltori di Panzano, which is also committed to the principles of organic cultivation of the Panzano hills. In plain language, this means that there are no chemical sprays at Casaloste and the energy required for the cellar, mountain and agriturismo is generated by solar panels. Speaking of the agriturismo: Emilia and Giovanni have also lovingly restored two apartments within the stone walls of Casaloste. Here you can now enjoy your organic vacation by every trick in the book: With a glass of red wine by the pool shaded by olive trees or would you prefer a wine tasting in the tasting room with a view of the wines maturing in the barrels? You are spoiled for choice...

60,000 bottles of red wine - each one a poem...

Today, around 60,000 bottles of wine are produced at Fattoria Casaloste every year. The main protagonist is the autochthonous Sangiovese grape. And Giovanni has succeeded in taming this sometimes rough grape variety into wines full of elegance and warmth with a style all of their own. The two Gran Seleziones, for example, are made from 100 percent Sangiovese grapes: the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione "Don Vincenzo" from grapes from a single vineyard, the Gran Selezione "Casaloste" from grapes from different vineyards. 95 percent Sangiovese is used in the Chianti Classico Riserva, which is rounded off with a blend of five percent Merlot and other varieties. The top seller in the range is undoubtedly the Chianti Classico, which is made from 90 percent Sangiovese and ten percent Merlot. The stark contrast to the Sangiovese-heavy nature of Casaloste's wines is the Inversus Toscana IGT: This is because the blending ratio here is exactly the opposite - i.e. inverse - to the Chianti Classico: 90 percent Merlot and ten percent Sangiovese are used for this. In comparative tastings over the past few years, Casaloste wines have repeatedly taken top places - Giovanni has achieved his goal: organic wines of the highest quality! Incidentally, the company's own extra virgin olive oil, for which the fruit is picked and sorted by hand, is also absolutely first-class - and of course completely organic.

In Italy, in the region Tuscany, in the region Chianti Classico, in Greve in Chianti

Giovanni Battista d'Orsi

Giovanni Battista d'Orsi

19 ha of which 10.5 ha are classified as Chianti Classico

Sandstone, clay

East and West

360 meters above sea level.

Cordon