Castell’in Villa – An Icon Revisited: 1971-2007
Castell’in Villa is one of the most
historic estates in Chianti Classico. Princess Coralia Pignatelli della
Leonessa and her husband found the property in 1967 and purchased it the
following year. Initially, Princess Coralia and her husband thought they would
make wine for fun. Her father, a Greek aristocrat, demurred at the thought of
his daughter becoming a peasant. At the time, there was just one hectare under
vine, but planting began in earnest in 1968 following the suggestions the
Chianti Classico Consorzio, which included the white grapes that ended up being
used for the first vintages.
This tasting covered a number of vintages of the flagship Chianti Classico Riserva going back to the inaugural 1971. I also tasted several vintages of the single-vineyard Chianti Classico Poggio delle Rose and Santa Croce, the estate’s Sangiovese/Cabernet blend. I have included those notes here for reference. Poggio delle Rose was planted in 1990 with a clonal selection taken from Castell’in Villa’s original vineyards. The wine is aged exclusively in French oak barrels. A small amount was produced in 1994, but the first commercial release was the 1996.
Subscriber Access Only
or Sign Up
Castell’in Villa is one of the most historic estates in Chianti Classico. Princess Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa and her husband found the property in 1967 and purchased it the following year. Initially, Princess Coralia and her husband thought they would make wine for fun. Her father, a Greek aristocrat, demurred at the thought of his daughter becoming a peasant. At the time, there was just one hectare under vine, but planting began in earnest in 1968 following the suggestions the Chianti Classico Consorzio, which included the white grapes that ended up being used for the first vintages.
