Castellare I Sodi di S. Niccolò

I Sodi di San Niccolò Toscana IGT bottle image

Wine Description

I Sodi di San Niccolò was created in the early 1980s with the goal of demonstrating that the native grapes could produce a wine with all the power and grace of a Super Tuscan-- without the use of international varieties. "I Sodi" refers to land that is difficult to till (grapes must be hand-harvested), and "San Niccolò" is an abandoned church on the Castellare property.

Alessandro Cellai
Castellare Vines
Castellare Vineyard
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Acclaim
The 2005 I Sodi di San Niccolò is developing quite nicely. Initially rather awkward, the 2005 is now starting to show its finesse. The 2005 remains a lithe, medium-bodied Sodi. At the same time, the fruit is still quite vibrant and primary, which suggests the wine will age gracefully, even if it won’t ever be one of the truly profound wines here. This is the type of vintage that frequently surprises on the upside. Sweet floral notes intermingle with hints of tar and licorice. This is an outstanding effort from a very difficult harvest.
— Wine Advocate, Jun 2012
Aromas of sweet blackberry and flowers lead to a full body, with rich, chewy tannins and a long finish.
— Wine Spectator, Oct 2009
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Vineyard & Production Info
Production area/appellation:
Toscana IGT
Vineyard name
Chianti Classico/The I Sodi di San Niccolò vineyard
Vineyard size
11 acres
Soil composition
Calcareous
Training method
Guyot
Elevation:
1,452 feet
Vines/acre:
1,800
Yield/acre:
2 tons
Exposure:
Southeastern
Harvest time:
October
First vintage of this wine:
1980
Bottles produced of this wine:
25,000
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Winemaking & Aging
Maceration length:
14
Varietal composition:
85% Sangioveto and 15% Malvasia Nera
Fermentation container:
Stainless Steel Tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
14 days
Fermentation temperature:
79 °F
Maceration technique:
Pumpovers and delestage
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Size of aging container:
225 L
Type of oak:
French oak
Length of aging before bottling:
24 months
Age of Aging Container:
50% new and 50% second passage
Length of bottle aging:
30 months
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.6
Acidity:
5.9 g/L
Alcohol:
13.8 %
Dry extract:
33 g/L
Residual sugar:
1 g/L