The 2001 I Sodi di San Niccolo flows from the glass with deep layers of ripe dark red fruit. Powerful, incisive tannins provide the backdrop for this structured, towering wine as it continues to grow with air. Despite its size, the 2001 also has tons of detail and nuance. In short, it is a magnificent, harmonious wine that still offers quite a bit of potential for the future.

The 2001 I Sodi di San Niccolo flows from the glass with deep layers of ripe dark red fruit. Powerful, incisive tannins provide the backdrop for this structured, towering wine as it continues to grow with air. Despite its size, the 2001 also has tons of detail and nuance. In short, it is a magnificent, harmonious wine that still offers quite a bit of potential for the future. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2031. Proprietor Paolo Panerai is adamant about it. Sangioveto is the correct name and spelling of Tuscany’s main indigenous red variety. Panerai is one of Italy’s most successful entrepreneurs. His publishing empire is vast and encompasses a number of journals running the gamut from Milano Finanza, an Italian version of Barron’s, to Class and other glossy lifestyle magazines.

Since the late 1970s, Panerai has owned Castellare, one of the jewels of Chianti Classico. Castellare isn’t as well known as the trendiest estates in Tuscany, but the wines rarely fail to impress. The last few years have seen a marked increase in quality throughout the range, especially among the entry-level bottlings. Quality has never been an issue with the flagship I Sodi di San Niccolo, one of the true icons of Chianti Classico that remains under the radar. Fortunately for consumers, prices have yet to catch up with quality. Sodi is 85% Sangioveto and 15% Malvasia Nera from a vineyard in the heart of the estate, where the bunches are typically loose and naturally low in vigor. Today Sodi is fermented in stainless steel, then racked into concrete for the malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged 24 months in French oak barrels, roughly 50% new. Consulting oenologist Maurizio Castelli made the first vintages. Current winemaker Alessandro Cellai arrived in 1997.