Casaloste is an organic estate winery in Panzano in Chianti in the Chianti Classico DOCG region of Tuscany, Italy. The main market is USA.

Owner: Marchesi Giovanni Battista d’Orsi di Villanova, an agronomist and enologist who left Naples (Napoli) and re-settled here with his wife, Emilia Battista d’Orsi.

Staff: Oenologist: Elisabetta Barbieri. Previously Gabriella Tani.

Vineyards: 19 hectares of land in total, of which around 10,5ha of Chianti Classico, producing about 60,000 bottles of wine per year.

Organic certification: 1994 First vintage with organic certification. | 2019 Still certified organic.

Winemaking: Hand picked into 20kg crates. French oak for all three wines; 350 litre and 225 litre; air conditioned cellar. Special pumps. The reds went through an oaky, over-extracted phase with micro-oxygenation and non-traditional (read French) grape varieties in the early 2000s.

Red wines

Maniero, Toscana Rosso: Easy to drink. Fresh and fruited. Made from a blend of Sangiovese and Canaiolo varieties.

Chianti Classico DOCG, Casaloste: 1997 Lovely fruit, ripe and complex, frank tannic structure and a refreshing finish, tried in Tunbridge Wells with Laure December 2000. |  2001 Bottled. The 2001 is probably the best vintage made over the last 10 years (Roy Richards). | 2002 Production was 40% down overall, so Giovanni made no Riserva or Don Vincenzo, just a Chianti Classico. They also produced some Merlot for the first time; eventually this will be used to produce a new wine, but in 2002 it was used to support the Sangiovese (Roy Richards, 2004). | 2013 98% Sangiovese, 2% other varieties. | 2015 90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot. | 2016 90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot. Bright, smooth, a bit extracted but has the clarity and will settle down (Anteprima 2019). | 2016 90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot. | 2017 90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot. 14% alc. Bright, fluid red fruit, no heaviness (Anteprima 2019). | 2018 Soft oak overlay (Anteprima 2022). 

Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva, Casaloste: 1999 100% Sangiovese. | 2000 Bottled. | 2002 Not made. | 2016 95% Sangiovese, 5% other grapes. 14.5%. Smooth, bright (Anteprima 2019). 

Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione, Casaloste: 2015 97% Sangiovese, 3% other grapes.

Inversus, Toscana Rosso: The name relates to a rare congenital condition affecting Giovanni and Emilia’s second son, Federico d’Orsi. | 2000 100% Sangiovese. | 2013 90% Merlot, 10% Sangiovese.

Don Vincenzo Rosso: A vineyard selection made in the best years. | 1999 Toscana Rosso. 100% Sangiovese. Aged in new oak. | 2000 Bottled. | 2002 Not made.| 2009 Toscana Rosso. 98% Sangiovese, 2% other red grapes. Rich dark plum nose, deep and not yet fully open, oak comes through on palate, bit sawdusty but plenty of black fruit to offset this tasted blind (DWWA 2013). | 2013 Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione, Don Vincenzo. 100% Sangiovese. | 2015 Toscana Rosso. 100% Sangiovese. Lovely soft fruit (Anteprima 2019). 

Contact

Fattoria Casaloste

Via Montagliari, 32

50020 Panzano in Chianti (FI), Italy

Tel+39 055.852725 | Website: www.casaloste.com

Directions: Between Panzano (1km) and Greve (4km) on the SS222.

Bibliography

Visit on 17th Oct 2001 @ 10am with Steve & Paige Walter, hosted by Emilia Battista d’Orsi.

Richards Walford, Dies Irae, Italy 2003 report (June 2003).

Roy Richards, ‘Italy 2004’, Richards Walford (June 2004).