Fattoria Castellina: Biodynamic wines from the Tuscan wilderness

Fantastic new releases arrived yesterday from Fattoria Castellina. They have me daydreaming about a perfect lunch we shared in July. Details below. Give us a shout to taste the new vino.

A fine summer’s day at Fattoria Castellina

“We have a window to the sea”. I’m on a hilltop above Capraia. Parched amber fields dotted with olive trees, a huge sky. It’s a remarkable view.  The land slopes down from Elisabetta Mainardi’s agriturismo at an even grade. The inclined plane continues past Fattoria Castellina’s swimming pool, into a thicket of live oaks and uninviting seaside vegetation. The land beneath our feet is sandy. A cool breeze from Livorno makes being outside at midday tolerable, at least in the shade.

The power is out. Elisabetta and Eleonora are busy preparing lunch, under challenging circumstances. A cluster of guests seem unconcerned by the lack of electricity. The pool is still cold, and there’s wine to drink. A tattooed couple make out in the deep end. A gambling man would peg the scattered tourists sheltering under umbrellas as British. They wilt under the Mediterranean sun like exiles from cloudy northern isles. 

I don’t visit Fattoria Castellina solely for the exceptional meals. But these feasts are a consistent highlight of time in Tuscany. Mother-and-daughter are expert cooks of regional classics. Eleonora is a passionate advocate for her farm’s wines and produce. It’s difficult not to get swept up in the excitement she generates. She’s earnest. It’s as refreshing as the sea breeze. She smiles, speaks directly, and presents her family’s wines with the confidence of a person who's been hearing (and living) the story of Fattoria Castellina from birth.  

Elisabetta’s food contextualises the certified-biodynamic wines they farm perfectly. We drink a duo of whites with antipasti. Perfect summer melon and prosciutto.  There’s an anfora-aged orange wine (that isn’t refreshing enough for me, personally) and the Solare, a 100% Vermentino that I adore. With tomato-laden bruschetta, we drink the estate’s experimental rosato. Pure Ciliegiolo, and delightful. I’m glad a rosé is in the works. One day we’ll import it by the pallet.

Francesco emerges from the vineyards. Regrettably his father Fabio remains at work on the farm. But Eleonora confides that Fabio insisted they feed us well. I love that he values our relationship. I love more how clear the respect and admiration for Fabio and Elisabetta is in the words and actions of Eleonora and Federico. Working alongside their parents, slowly taking the reins, the siblings have gained an appreciation for the work their parents are passing along to them. Maybe it’s how generations are supposed to grow together, and slowly understand each other. It feels timeless, and correct.  

Available now in North Carolina (but not in demijohn!)

Look at this cute lil’ concrete tank!

Strozzapreti pasta covered in a wild cinghiale ragù is served with new vintages of Chianti Montalbano and Chianti Montalbano Riserva. The 2019 is my favorite wine of the afternoon. There’s nothing to be improved upon in this Sangiovese. And it’s difficult to imagine a better pairing for our pasta course. The wine is quite open, the fruit is dark and remarkably expressive for a young wine. In comparison, the 2020 Chianti is more strawberry in its fruit profile, and more tannic. We’ll import this one, because it’s an exceptionally good value and really just needs some time. Who doesn’t. 

After lunch, we go to grandma’s house to meet Eleonora’s pet horse. The horse is named Sandy. Makes sense. Sandy used to plow vineyards. Now she’s enjoying a gentle retirement of petting, hand-feeding, and other equine forms of lazing about. I always forget that horses are huge, until confronted by an intimidatingly large eyeball. Unsettlingly sentient, too. There’s fathomless depth of thought, feeling, emotional understanding passing through that fist-sized retina. I’m ill at ease alongside the very chill horse. I feel like I’m supposed to glean something from the encounter. The horse is trying to share deep truths about nature, the cycle of life and work, and this place. But I don’t have the animistic awareness to grasp it. So I talk to grandma. Apparently, the family give her the wines that aren’t good enough to sell. Humph. Kids these days. How’s that for gratitude? 

A silver and white setter glides around us. A beautiful, graceful dog. I retreat to my rental car and drive into Capraia, where the wines are made. 

Years ago, my thumbnail sketch of Fattoria Castellina was, ‘great farming, rustic winemaking.’ A handful of visits spread across a decade are no real measure of oenological practices. To my inexpert eyes, the cellar seems to have been improved. Today, there is greater intentionality, and experimentation. There are new tronconic fermenters. Francesco has thoughtful explanations for where the maturing wines are stored. Ten hectoliter cement tanks are common. Secondhand barriques purchased from Ornellaia to age reserve wine line a back wall.

We wander around and taste, starting with Terre e Cielo single-vineyard Sangiovese, a tonneau-aged Sangiovese from their top site. Timeless. Then Geos Syrah, which they are aging in locally-made anfora. This part of Tuscany has been a center for ceramics since Etruscans were roaming around. Eventually we try the Daino bianco, which tastes remarkably like traditional right bank Bordeaux. I think. I haven’t drunk a Pomerol in years! Inevitably, the conversation drifts round to pizza. Francesco and Eleonora are very health conscious, they work out and eat right. But there’s room in every Italian diet for great local pizza. Francesco shares a long list of his favorite spots. After dining in the pizzerias of Campania and Abruzzo on my way to Tuscany, I’m transitioning my diet from pizza-based to steak-based. But I store away his recommendations for later travels. 

I drive away from the cellar with a handful of bottles (to retaste later, for science) and a renewed determination to tell the story of this lovely family and their vines. A stone’s throw from the epicenter of Sangiovese production, a million miles from glitzy cellars and trendy marketing. Castellina are unfailingly honest in their farming. It has been a delicious afternoon.

Eleonora and Francesco. Happy siblings making great wine.