Rodano

Tuscany, Italy


At a Glance
  • Rodano is a small, artisanal estate nestled in a quiet hillside in Castellina-in-Chianti
  • The gem of the property is the beautiful, south-facing amphitheater vineyard of Viacosta, from which they make their flagship Chianti Classico
  • Across the board the Rodano wines are amazing values, their Chianti Classico is the best value traditional Chianti on the market
  • The traditional wines are certified organic with wines fermentations in cement and aging in large, neutral botte
  • In an area that is dominated by giant wineries, Rodano remains a relatively small, family-run, artisanal estate

Fattoria di Rodáno is a top source for classically made, user-friendly and complex Chianti. Located in Castellina in the heart of the Chianti Classico district, the estate dates back as a wine-producing property to the sixteenth century, belonging to the Pozzesi family ever since that time. Vittorio Pozzesi had been in charge of the estate since they first began to bottle wine on their own in 1967 but now his son, Enrico, handles the management of the winery. The domaine’s former winemaker was Guilio Gambelli, who passed away in 2012. Gambelli was one of the most legendary winemakers in Chianti, consulting for such estates as Montevertine and Gianfranco Soldera. Rodáno is quite a large estate, with more than a hundred hectares under vine, and is one of the best-kept secrets in all of Tuscany.

The style of the Rodáno Chianti bottlings is quite traditional, with Sangiovese playing a dominant role in all of the estate’s various bottlings. The Chianti Classico “normale” is aged entirely in large Slavonian botti, and the Riserva is a combination of these large casks and used barriques. Like all great traditional Sangiovese-based wines, the Rodáno wines offer up lovely, bright acidity that adds freshness and focus on the palate, and makes them outstanding partners at the table. The heart and soul of their vineyard holdings is the beautifully situated vineyard of Viacosta, which is a perfect, south-facing bowl of old vines, that average between thirty-five and forty-five years of age. In top vintages, the Rodáno Riserva Chianti bottling is made from the Viacosta vineyard. In addition to Sangiovese, the Viacosta vineyard also has a small parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon planted here, which is used in the estate’s IGT bottling, called Mon Nene, named after Enrico's daughter. Rodano used to make a blend of Sangiovese with Cabernet called Monna Claudia, but currently just produce the Mon Nene with those Cabernet vines. They also make one of Tuscany's best value reds called Poggialupi, which is made from ninety percent Sangiovese and ten percent Merlot. The Poggialupi is made for immediate access, with no rough edges and impressive brightness and succulence.