The purity of Cabernet Sauvignon – that is what Poderi Castellare di Castellina strives to bottle with their Coniale.
Located on the hills of a natural amphitheater in the heart of Chianti Classico, their vineyard produces Sangioveto (the noble native version of Sangiovese) for three levels of Chianti and the basis of their flagship I Sodi Di San Niccolo, as well as other indigenous and French grapes. Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc do well here, but their Cabernet Sauvignon can truly be unique.
Fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for 18 months in 225 liter barriques, Coniale is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Not many wineries in Italy do that. Most create blends, either entirely of Bordeaux varietals or with Sangiovese, the basis for Super Tuscans.
Perhaps when one thinks of a straight Cabernet Sauvignon California comes to mind - Napa in particular with fully ripe fruit, a full body and high alcohol levels. But that is not really what you get with the Coniale. A perfume of black currant with leather, underbrush, eucalyptus and lavender and a palate of crushed wild soft raspberries wrapped in a fuzzy sage leaf with dusty tannins of licorice and cocoa is what was revealed to me this past weekend. And the flavors were elevated when enjoyed along filet mignon with bordelaise sauce and sautéed mushrooms.
In essence, the wine has one foot in the door of the New World with it solely being bottled as monovarietal, but due to the Tuscan terroir it comes from it has the other foot firmly planted in the Old World.
A wine of this caliber for $49.99 is a no brainer. If you’d like a score as a reference point Monica Larner awarded the 2009 Castellare Coniale 95+ for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. As she also gives it a window of maturity until 2033 I suggest grabbing a case to enjoy over nearly the next 2 decades…if you can resist drinking it sooner.