Is Castellare Di Castellina's Top Wine A Hidden Gem?

“I Sodi, one of the most under the radar wines in all of Italy”, Vinous

At RareWine Invest, it is not news that Italy is home to quality wines with pricing that does not do them justice at all. In this investment tip, another such one is on the agenda, and it is not presumed to be a deliberate choice by Castellare di Castellina that their top wine flies silently and invisibly under the world's wine radar.

What do you think will happen when the world really receives the quality signal from Castellare di Castellina? Right now, the price is too low. And in fact, the price here is lower compared to the lowest price at Wine-searcher.com. Quantities are also small, and a potential upside may outpace the 2017 I Sodi di San Niccolo. Get wise to the potential and invest before radio silence is eliminated.

Castellare Di Castellina: The Combination Of Innovation And Tradition

In the 1970s, businessman Pauolo Panerai took an initiative that would prove to be more than reasonable. An initiative to buy and create a consortium of Castellare, Caselle, San Niccolo and Le Case. In 1979, this became the Castellare di Castelina winery, and the goal was clear. The aim was to produce wine of the highest possible quality, based on both innovation and Tuscan tradition. Today, Panerai still owns the winery, although he has added both Sicilian Feudi del Pisciotto and Tuscan Rocca di Frassinello to his collection.

Castellare di Castellina is at the heart of Chianti Classico, and today enjoys the status of both iconic and well-respected producer in Tuscany. The house has a broad portfolio in which 250,000-300,000 annual bottles are distributed.

Panerai And Rothschild In Wonderful Alliance

The 1970s are described as the wine revolution of Italy, when the super Tuscans were born, based on international grape varieties, barriques and new techniques. Panerai did not buy the revolutionary ideas one hundred percent, but instead focused on tradition, ecology and innovation, although Castellera de Castellina was one of the first wineries in Italy to introduce the use of barriques.

In fact, Panerai and Baron Edmond de Rothschild (owner of Château Lafite) founded the Compagnie Vinicole Conseille association, which aimed to spread knowledge of precisely new winemaking techniques. Barriques were undoubtedly the way forward, but Panerai also knew that the product of the field was paramount.

Strong Price/Quality Ratio

There has been a tendency for the prices of Italian wines not to fully follow quality. On the contrary. Here you can get a lot of quality for your money - in this case at a price 22 % below the cheapest price on wine-searcher.com.

The cheapest prices for 2017 Sodi di San Niccolo on wine-searcher.com are currently € 55 per bottle* and an average price of € 71. Your price is € 45 per bottle. The argument about whether the wine lover would even notice if the price of this rose 10, 20 or 30% overnight is relevant here. In the latter case, a bottle would thus cost less than € 60, which still seems cheap. An interesting thought for the wine investor. 

The 2016 vintage was an excellent I Sodi di San Niccolo vintage, and if the Wine Advocate awards 97 points to the 2017 vintage, it will be on a par with this one. Even if WA gives 96 points, the average will be more than respectable and comparable to its predecessor. The 2016 vintage Sodi di San Niccolo with 96.3 points across critics** according to wine-searcher.com currently costs at least € 60 and an average of € 85. This, of course, has cost considerably less at release. The same wine has also according to Wine-searcher seen a significant drop in availability since release at 29,230 bottles. It has not been possible to find an exact number of bottles produced in 2017, but since the 2014 vintage, the figure has been between 27,000 and 29,230, so production is assumed to be in this range at release.

From an Italian perspective, this is an extremely small production. And at a price that does not do justice to the quality, it is to be expected that a significant proportion has already been consumed. 

*Ex. customs, VAT and taxes, in whole boxes and perfect condition

**Wine Advocate, Vinous and James Suckling

Rarewine Invest's Opinion

This is a classic value-for-money wine, which costs 22 % less than the cheapest offer on wine-searcher.com. So already here you get a significant head start. Add to this that a high score of 97 points from Wine Advocate can further boost both demand and price.... And even if they do not share the enthusiasm of both Vinous and James Suckling, the potential is still omnipresent. In fact, Wine Advocate has awarded between 94-96 points for the past five vintages and is unlikely not to be in that range again. Indeed, he generally agrees with both Suckling and Vinous when it comes to this wine.

Volumes are small, and probably reduced significantly since release. And we know that wine lovers are willing to pay for quality, so price increases on a good wine in this price range can go almost unnoticed. This is your chance to invest before the rest of the world sees the quality of Castellare di Castellina's top wine. Before the rest of the world sees the hidden gem that this 2017 I Sodi di San Niccolò really is.