~ This dirt road leads to the vineyard which provides fruit for Rodano’s Chianti Classico ~
Fattoria Rodano is located in the heart of Castellina in Chianti. Since the 16th Century the estate has been in the hands of the Pozzesi family; a miraculous feat unto itself. Today the property is managed by Enrico Pozzesi who assumed the day to day responsibilities from his father. Despite the age of the estate, the family have been bottling their own wine since 1967. Rodano is certified organic and farms just over 100 hectares of vines.
~ Enrico Pozzesi operates the property today ~
Although most consider Fattoria Rodano to be a traditional producer, my sense is that they are more of a hybrid. While their practices may be considered classic, the resulting wine is rather modern in style. The estate relies solely on Slavonian Botte for their Chianti Classico aging and similarly, only indigenous grapes are used in the blend. I recently checked in on the estate’s most recent Classico release which stands in contrast to its neighbors 2017.
The 2017 Fattoria Rodano Chianti Classico is a lovely deep violet color. A blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino and Canaiolo, the wine is aged for 15 months in Slavonian botte prior to bottle aging.
I did not decant the wine, but had it opened and in the glass for about 40 minutes before tasting. On the nose, the wine’s aromas are easily coaxed from the glass. Black cherry, leather and graphite are notable. On the palate, this Classico is broadly shouldered and might benefit from a splash in a decanter. The black cherry flavors, though somewhat monolithic, are joined by notes of toasted spices and fresh scrub herbs. Moderately tannic, the fruit finishes slightly pruney and the balance feels a little “hot”. You can sense the nature of the vintage reflected in this wine and it clocks in at 15.5% alcohol. I wouldn’t cellar this vintage too long given it’s personality today. Enjoy over the next 3-4 years. 87 points. About $16-$20 Find this wine.
~ The Fattoria Rodano 2017 shows the hot character of the vintage in the wine ~
Stay tuned for more new release reviews coming soon.
Salute!
Rodano is very much a favorite. Very consistent, their CC always delivers $17 worth of favor. This winery is purely focused on growing grapes, making wine and shipping it (primarily to the US, I think). There is no hospitality aspect, no cantina, no direct sales. We drove up on Rodano once and Mr. Pozzesi asked his ‘cellar man’ (his words) to show us around. The cellar is utilitarian, a small factory for producing Chianti Classico. No romance, but great wine. It was explained that Rodano’s goal is to produce wine that is better than wine that taste better than wine that costs twice as much. I think folks at Rodano usually succeed in hitting this goal.
Although a riserva and a couple cabernet based IGT wines are produced, they are rarely seen in the wine shop. There is an entry level wine called Poggia Lupi which is a screaming deal at $14. I suspect that compared to other producers of similar size, Rodano produces a higher percentage of straight Chianti Classico. Rodano is a very easy to find, which takes a little bit of the ‘adventure’ away from it, but it is 100% a cellar stalwart, always reliable for a nice bottle.
Rodano is very easy to find? Do you mean the wine or the property?
Actually the wine, it has very wide distribution, at least among places I shop. The property is medium hard to find, pretty far out there on the dirt roads.
OK, and I know we’ve talked about this before but here in NJ it is not easy to find. I finally found one shop that has it – which is where I got this bottle. But I’ve never seen anything of their upper level stuff. I’ll be curious to try this wine in the 2019 version when I see it. Cheers to the holiday weekend!
The riserva and IGT are impossible to find (my daughter bought me a bottle of the riserva on wine.com). The CC is very easy to find here in Colorado. The first place I purchased it was a grocery store in Missoula, Montana and I always see it at gas station/store in Whitefish Montana. It’s also very common on restaurant wine lists in western Montana. I guess the importer and distributor chain is in some respects regional in nature, if Rodano’s distributer is not set up in New Jersey, then we won’t see the wine in New Jersey. FWIW I seem to recall that there distributor is based in Denver, so that accounts for some of this.
Also I can’t imagine Rodano would be receptive to an email request for a sale and shipment of six bottles to the US. My impression is that their basic quantity is an ocean container load. They just have an unusual way of doing business.
As always thanks for the blog, it’s a great resource.
Indeed, it seems like a no frills business model. But, that also keeps costs predictable and low.