A white from one of the highest estates in Chianti Classico, where vines climb to 700 metres and the altitude does the work that keeps a Tuscan white fresh.
Tasting Notes
Bright straw yellow. Citrus and green apple lead the nose, with a floral undertone of jasmine and white flowers behind them. Chardonnay gives the richness and a rounded texture through the middle, and Trebbiano answers it with acidity, which is the whole logic of the blend. Dry and well balanced, with melon and orange zest appearing on the palate and a clean, persistent finish. Radda sits high and cool for Chianti, and that shows here as tension rather than weight.
Quick Facts
- Grapes: Chardonnay and Trebbiano Toscano, roughly 60/40
- Origin: Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT, from Radda in Chianti
- Estate: 125 hectares of vineyard planted up to 700 metres, among the highest in Tuscany
- Soil: Stony alberese and galestro with clay and limestone
- Style: Dry white, fresh and unoaked in character
- Alcohol: Around 12.5%
Food Pairing
Antipasti and cured meats, seafood pasta, grilled fish, risotto, roast chicken, pecorino fresco, and vegetable dishes with olive oil and herbs.
Serving
Serve at 10 to 12°C. Drink young, while the citrus and floral notes are at their most vivid.
About the Producer
Castello di Albola sits in a restored medieval hamlet above Radda in Chianti, a property once held by the Pazzi family and later the Ginori Conti princes, with cellars vaulted centuries ago and now filled with Slavonian oak botti. It belongs to the Zonin1821 group, whose winemaker Alessandro Gallo calls it the jewel in Chianti. The estate is best known for its Chianti Classico and for Acciaiolo, a Cabernet Sauvignon from a single old vineyard, but its altitude makes it unusually well suited to whites in a region that rarely bothers with them.
