2013 Castellani Fattoria di Travalda Toscana IGT 750 ml

Whether you are just meeting the wines of Castellani or are already a fan: I hope you get acquainted with this new Tuscan red, which for lovers of Italian cuisine, is the perfect companion. For a decade, owner Piergiorgio Castellani has been supplying Wine Access clients with a steady stream of top-value gems from his family’s six properties—most of which have sold out in short order. The 2013 Castellani Fattoria di Travalda Toscana IGT, from the family’s estate in coastal Tuscany, continues that auspicious debut. Travalda is an homage to the Super Tuscan tradition, blending classic Bordeaux varieties, aged in barrique for 18 months, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The result is a powerful red, exuding grace with elegant red florals and red berry fruit balanced by silky tannins.

Wine Enthusiast has asserted that, under Piergiorgio Castellani’s guidance, the family is “jockeying for a position as one of the top producers of Italy.” This praise is especially impressive considering that the fourth-generation vintner is not only the steward of his family’s century-old Tuscan estate, but an avid art-lover, outdoorsman, and surfer. Piergiorgio, quite simply, is a walking refutation of the idea that the word “inherited” implies idleness. 

With nearly 2,500 acres of vines under their care, Castellani wines show off the diverse producing areas of Tuscany. Fattoria di Travalda, which dates back to Roman times, is located in Santa Lucia, west of the town of Pontadera, east of Pisa, and only about twenty miles from the coast. Given the success that international varieties have had in the area, the family chose to dedicate the Travalda estate to the relatively modern Super Tuscan Bordelaise blend. 

Consisting of thirty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot, the Travalda is composed like a Médoc beauty. Eighteen months in barrique and a few years in bottle have softened the Travalda’s edges a bit, and made the perfect weekday or weekend wine to enjoy on its own, or with about a million different dishes. We don’t want to jinx it, but the streak continues: Castellani remains in the very good graces of Wine Access clients, and keeps on rising.