Place de Bordeaux: after the first Barolo, I Sodi di S. Niccolò 2018 by Castellare di Castellina

Landing on La Place de Bordeaux, the distribution system that brings together Chateaux, négociants and wine merchants from all over the world, on which the marketing of Bordeaux wines has been based since the 17th century, has become more of a pleasant habit than news. There are so many Italian labels that, over the years, have been welcomed by a privileged commercial channel, well aware that the top quality of Italy now shares the same market shares as the great wines of France. A discourse that is valid for a rather restricted audience of which, since a few days, includes also I Sodi di S. Niccolò by Castellare di Castellina: director of the operation is Timothée Moreau of the Bureau des Grands Vins, who has selected a network of negociants of Bordeaux that will distribute the Grand Cru of Castellare di Castellina through its own channels in the markets of South America, Asia (except South Korea), Africa, Middle East, Oceania and France, therefore in all continents with the exclusion of the rest of Europe, of North and Central America and of the Caribbean Islands.

“We are delighted to become part of such a prestigious network”, comments Paolo Panerai, founder of Castellare di Castellina, a historic Chianti Classico winery: “La Place de Bordeaux is the reference point for the market of top wines, because it distributes authentic icons of world enology. I Sodi di S. Niccolò 2018 is one of the first Italian Supertuscans (first vintage 1977) made exclusively with native Chianti Classico vines from the two best Cru of Castellare. A wine that in the 40 vintages marketed to date has collected numerous awards, starting way back in 1988, when it placed sixth in Wine Spectator’s first Top 100 with the 1985o vintage. The 2017 vintage celebrated its 40th vintage with a special label and a limited collector’s edition auctioned at Christie’s on December 2 at a record price of £4,655 (€5,476) for the 15-litre size”.

A few weeks earlier, and again thanks to the work of Timothée Moreau, the first Barolo (and first label from Piedmont) had also arrived on La Place de Bordeaux, the 2018 Barolo Cerequio from Michele Chiarlo, the historic winery in Calamandrana, closely followed by the Barolo of Parusso which, availing itself of four négociants - CVBG, Duclot, Ginestet and Joanne - with the collaboration of the historic courtier Excellence Vin, will be distributed worldwide, with the exception of a few European countries (Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, the UK, Norway, Austria, France and Sweden).

As mentioned, the doors of the Place de Bordeaux for Italian wine were already open in 2008, when 15 prestigious négociants decided to distribute the legendary Masseto worldwide (with the exception of Italy, the USA and Canada), with the 2006 vintage, which was later joined by the estate’s second wine, Massetino. Ornellaia, Ornellaia Bianco, Serre Nuove, Le Volte and Poggio alle Gazze, exclusively for Asia, the Arab Emirates, Africa and South America, also pass through the Place de Bordeaux. As well as the Solaia, and, in small quantities, also the Tignanello and Cervaro della Sala of the Antinori family, and three more legendary labels of oenological Tuscany, such as Colore by Bibi Graetz, Galatrona by Petrolo, the flagship winery of Val d’Arno di Sopra by Luca Sanjust and Caiarossa.

In 2019 it was the turn of the first Brunello di Montalcino, with the wines of Luce della Vite, the Frescobaldi brand that acts as an umbrella for Luce, Lucente and Luce Brunello di Montalcino, distributed in Asia, Africa and the Middle East (with the exception of Japan) by 11 Bordeaux négociants. Finally, just to mention a few of the top Italian labels present on the Place de Bordeaux, the debut of the first Etna Rosso, that of Giovanni Rosso, the historic Barolo label, represented by five of the most renowned négociants, Joanne, Diva, Barriere Frères, Louis Vialard and Ld. Today the Place has 75 wines from eight different countries, with 35% of the total coming from Italy, 28% from the USA and 12% from French regions other than Bordeaux.