Winemaker Notes
A union of two of the world's most characteristic grapes, the Chardonnay is cultivated in Montalcino and the Trebbiano Procanico in Scansano. The vineyards that produce this white wine are two micro plots harvested at optimal ripeness and vinified and aged separately. The Chardonnay and Trebbiano wines are more than the sum of their parts and create a perfectly balanced Super Tuscan packed with stone and lemon salinity, surprisingly vibrant yet ancient.
Blend: 50% Chardonnay, 50% Trebbiano Procanico
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Attractive floral character here with white nectarines, golden apples, crushed almonds and praline. Some dried lemon peel, too. Medium- to full-bodied, textural and sleek with juicy acidity coming through. Focused with a citrusy finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Castello Romitorio 2021 Metafisica is equal parts Chardonnay and Procanico, aged in oak for nine months. This is a new addition to the estate portfolio, with the Chardonnay coming from Montalcino and the Procanico coming from the Scansano area in southern Tuscany. The Procanico vineyard boasts 50-year-old vines and is one of the oldest in the area. Filippo Chia and his family acquired the site in November 2020. It's especially hard to find a white wine of this texture and consistency. It opens to a light golden hue and a viscous appearance that translates to a creamy mouthfeel. Aromas include orchard fruit, baked pear, saffron and apple pie. You can taste the skins, and there is the slightest tannic imprint on the mid-weight finish, which is dry and laced with dusty minerality. Only 1,900 bottles were produced in this inaugural release.
Rating: 92+
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
One of the most iconic Italian regions for wine, scenery and history, Tuscany is the world’s most important outpost for the Sangiovese grape. Tuscan wine ranges in style from fruity and simple to complex and age-worthy, Sangiovese makes up a significant percentage of plantings here, with the white Trebbiano Toscano coming in second.
Within Tuscany, many esteemed wines have their own respective sub-zones, including Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The climate is Mediterranean and the topography consists mostly of picturesque rolling hills, scattered with vineyards.
Sangiovese at its simplest produces straightforward pizza-friendly Tuscan wines with bright and juicy red fruit, but at its best it shows remarkable complexity and ageability. Top-quality Sangiovese-based wines can be expressive of a range of characteristics such as sour cherry, balsamic, dried herbs, leather, fresh earth, dried flowers, anise and tobacco. Brunello, an exceptionally bold Tuscan wine, expresses well the particularities of vintage variations and is thus popular among collectors. Chianti is associated with tangy and food-friendly dry wines at various price points. A more recent phenomenon as of the 1970s is the “Super Tuscan”—a red wine made from international grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, with or without Sangiovese. These are common in Tuscany’s coastal regions like Bolgheri, Val di Cornia, Carmignano and the island of Elba.