Casaloste Don Vincenzo Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG

Casaloste Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Don Vincenzo DOCG

A great name for a great wine

The name of the second Gran Selezione from Casaloste carries a great legacy: it is named after Giovanni d'Orsi's late father, Don Vincenzo. The Gran Selezione Don Vincenzo has been around longer than the second Gran Selezione in Casaloste's range - namely since 2009, previously known as Chianti Classico Riserva. But unlike the Gran Selezione Casaloste, the grapes for the Don Vincenzo come from a single vineyard facing west. The carefully hand-picked grapes are first vinified in steel tanks and then undergo malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels over a period of 18 to 24 months. Once the wine has been bottled, it is allowed to rest and mature for a further 12 months. The result of this process, which lasts around three years, is a wine that more than lives up to its name. And it does so by being a great personality in its own right - made from 100 percent Sangiovese, which you can taste: Low acidity, well-balanced, velvety tannins and a long, long, long finish... All this makes Don Vincenzo a perfect representative between the power of Sangiovese and the elegance of Chianti Classico.

Fattoria Casaloste: The first organic winery in Panzano

Emilia and Giovanni are actually from Naples. But while visiting a friend in Chianti Classico, the agronomist and oenologist and his wife spontaneously fell in love with the small Casaloste winery not far from Panzano in Chianti. So they decided to buy the estate, renovate it and start growing wine. One thing was clear to the d'Orsis from the outset: the vineyard was to be cultivated organically. And so, in 1994, Casaloste became the first organic vineyard in Panzano to be officially certified by the ICEA (Istituto per la Certificazione Etica ed Ambientale). This means that no chemical sprays are used, energy is generated by solar panels and many other measures are fully committed to the sustainable and organic cultivation of the land. Speaking of organic: it goes without saying that the hotel's own Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva is also 100% organic. And a vacation in one of the two small apartments that are rented out at Casaloste also promises 100 percent relaxation on a 100 percent organic basis.

From Panzano in Chianti to the Greve Valley

The Casaloste wine estate covers a total area of 19 hectares, of which around two hectares are planted with olive trees and ten and a half hectares - along the road from Panzano to Greve in Chianti - with vines. The result: around 60,000 bottles of wine are produced here every year. Different than many other wineries in Panzano, Casaloste's vines grow at lower altitudes. As a result, the wines develop very independent personalities. The autochthonous Sangiovese grape variety, which plays the absolute leading role at Casaloste with a share of 85 percent, certainly makes a significant contribution to this. The vineyards also contain a small amount of Merlot and only small proportions of Ancelotta and Canaiolo.

Fattoria Casaloste: "La piccola fattoria dei grandi vini"

What is pressed from the grapes that grow, are cared for and harvested at Caslaloste has nothing to hide in international comparison: The small winery produces truly great wines that are repeatedly awarded excellent ratings by the international wine press and numerous experts. The lion's share of the range is of course - how could it be otherwise - Chianti Classico. The 90 percent Sangiovese in Chianti Classico is rounded off with ten percent Merlot. The Riserva from Casaloste contains an even higher proportion of Sangiovese: It is made from 95 percent Sangiovese as well as five percent Merlot and other varieties. "Solo Sangiovese" is the motto for the two variations of the Gran Selezione: there is the "Don Vincenzo" - and then, since the 2011 vintage, there is the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione "Casaloste", which is produced from grapes from different vineyards. The Inversus Toscana IGT is a special case. In this wine, the proportion of grapes is the reverse of that of the Chianti Classico: 90 percent Merlot and ten percent Sangiovese are used to create a very special taste experience.

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

West

360 meters above sea level.

4,000 to 6,000 vines per ha

Cordon