Italiano
Castello di Meleto, a throwback to the Middle Ages
Visiting Castello di Meleto is a like being thrown back to the Middle Ages, especially at sunset when the light reflects horizontally on its ancient walls. Set in a strategic location between Siena and Florence, the castle, which was clearly rebuilt probably somewhere around the 18
When I arrived there I was surprised to find a crowd of people and an orchestra in the garden overlooking the castle who were celebrating the arrival of autumn or something like that (it was a harvest festival, ed.note). Not being in the mood for songs and dances I sought an escape and discovered there was an alternative for anti-social people like me. Inside the castle was a beautiful gem of a theatre that still had its original furnishings and on stage a puppet show was being performed starring Pulcinella (Punch). It was a wonderful and moving performance. This was followed by a classic and very territorial dinner with a double vertical tasting of the estate’s wines held in a lovely room far away from the madding crowd where I found myself with in the company of well-mannered and charming people with whom to exchanges views on the wines and other things. The estate’s technical staff was there to explain the wines being tasted and offer some inside information on the more recent wines. Unfortunately, time was limited and not enough for a visit to the winery and vineyards, something that must wait until my next visit.
The tasting was composed of four vintages of Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna Casi, made with grapes from a vineyard near Radda that has a marl soil and is situated at an altitude of around 360m above sea level, and three vintages of Fiore, which since 1999 has been made using only Merlot as opposed to only Sangiovese previously. I would like to thanks Castello di Meleto to have also offered a Fiore 1998.
