Castello Romitorio Tuscan Wine Tasting with Special Guest Filippo Chia

"A man will be eloquent if you give him good wine." --- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Castello Romitorio - The Next Generation of Brunello Producers

Castello Romitorio is located on a hilltop overlooking the Val d'Orcia and facing the township of Monalcino, in the province of Siena.  The castle, surrounded on three sides by thick oak forests, rests in the northwestern quadrant of Montalcino, at an altitude of 450 meters.  On a clear evening, one can see the city of Siena over forty kilometers in the distance. 

Castello Romitorio, a massive twelfth-century hilltop fortress in Montalcino, since 1986 has produced exquisite Tuscan wines, grappa and olive oil in the best traditions of the region.  After acquiring the estate in 1984, artist Sandro Chia spent the next several years restoring Castello Romitorio and transforming its lands into vineyards.  He promptly constructed a cellar on the castle's ground floor with the most advanced equipment on the market, with a keen respect for ancient techniques.  To ensure the highest quality possible Sandro enlisted the expertise of one of Italy's leading enologists, Carlo Ferrini.

Since Sandro Chia bottled his first "Romito del Romitorio" in 1984, he has made clear that his pursuit of artistic perfection displays itself not only on the painted canvas but also in the glass.  Over fourty years of success in art and winemaking has given Castello Romitorio the opportunity to refine their methods even further and they have been constantly innovating and with great care and precision have added new wines to the portfolio at Castello di Romatorio. 

Join us as we welcome Filippo Chia to South Florida for a special evening of current releases from this great producer from Montalcino featuring the newly released 2019 vintage Brunello along with several older vintages of their top wines.

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $275 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any dietary restrictions or aversions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.

Castello Romitorio Tuscan Wine Tasting with Special Guest Filippo Chia
Saturday, October 5, 2024
7:30 PM

2020 Castello Romitorio Metafisica Toscana Bianco
2021 Castello Romitorio Romitorio Tuscany
2020 Castello Romitorio 'Colto' Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany
2019 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino
2019 Castello Romitorio Filo di Seta Brunello di Montalcino
2017 Castello Romitorio Filo di Seta Brunello di Montalcino
2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva
2016 Castello Romitorio Brunello Di Montalcino Filo Di Seta Riserva
2010 Castello di Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino
2007 Castello Romitorio Riserva Brunello di Montalcino

Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Beef Tartar served over Bone Marrow Canoe with Truffle Aioli
Veal Osso Bucco Ravioli with Wild Mushroom Sangiovese natural Sauce
Almond Biscotti with Limoncello Whipped Crème

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $275 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you have any dietary restrictions or aversions and chefs Toni and Dani will be happy to accommodate you.

A bit about Castello Romitorio

First a temple, then a fortress and a monastery, then a castle, a manor house, a shelter for shepherds and their flocks, and, finally, an art workshop and winery. From the Etruscans to the Romans, through the turbulent Middle Ages, abandonment and then restoration by Sandro Chia in the eighties, Castello Romitorio is a place where time has a physical, tangible dimension. It is a place where wine is an intrinsic part of the history, and which tells the story of hundreds of years of passion for this place, which has always been highly suited to winegrowing, and disputed for its strategic importance as a trade and travel route.
The land where Castello Romitorio now stands was once the fields and woods of the Etruscans, one of the country’s earliest known organized societies and the forerunners of Italian civilization. The village of Murlo, a few kilometres north of Romitorio, contains one of the most important Etruscan archaeological areas, with buildings dating back to the 12th century BC.
The foundations of Castello Romitorio probably date back to Roman times, perhaps as a prison for deserting Christian soldiers. This was a period of growing economy and trade, helped by the position of Val d’Orcia, and crossed by three navigable rivers; the Ombrone, the Arbia and the Orcia. Archaeological remains reveal evidence of wine and honey production, on which the local economy was based.
The Castle became a monastery until at least the 12th century, when disputes between Florence and Siena began. Because of its strategic position at the centre of the transport routes between the coast and central Italy, and between the north and south of the peninsula, it was then fortified. Construction of the present massive, solitary building flanked by a small chapel, dates back to the 14th century. Montalcino, and the system of fortifications of which Castello Romitorio was a part, was always proud of its autonomy. When it surrendered to the Medici in 1559, Montalcino was Italy’s last free township. The first written mentions of Brunello wine, with which Montalcino’s defenders ‘reddened their faces’, date from this time.
Restored as a manor house and patrician villa in the 19th century, Castello Romitorio was abandoned in the Second World War, and remained uninhabited for many years. After being a shelter for shepherds and their flocks, in the seventies it became the property of Baron Giorgio Franchetti, a luminary of the art world and restorer of historic buildings. Having been unable to complete his plans for restoration and further development, the Baron sold the castle as a ruin to Sandro Chia in 1984.
Castello Romitorio’s second life began in 1984, the year it was bought by artist Sandro Chia, who made the old manor his home and art studio. As well as the Castle, Chia took over the vineyards, holm oak woods and heathland. The objective was immediately apparent – Romitorio could only shine once more if, after renovation of the Castle, its ancient affinity with winegrowing was also revived.
In the second half of the Eighties, Montalcino was an experimental region. Vineyards and wineries innovated with respect to their tradition, in pursuit of a new, but ancient identity. Land, grape growing and oenology relied on the rebirth of Brunello, a centuries-old wine that was able to express the most authentic potential of Sangiovese grapes. Sandro Chia was at the forefront – he understood the importance of creating classic, representative wines.
Castello Romitorio inaugurated its new cellar in 2005. The 14th century manor was adorned with the works of Sandro Chia, designed to blend the avant-garde with a thousand years of history and antiquity. In the same year Sandro’s son, Filippo Chia, joined the company and started a process of profound renewal of the wines and winemaking style, betting on extremely elegant single varietal Sangiovese to embody the characteristics of the terroir.
After thirty years of hard work in the area, Castello Romitorio is now an internationally recognized winery specializing in Sangiovese and Brunello di Montalcino. Filippo Chia is committed to tradition and the pursuit of excellence, through classic style and innovation. The most demanding challenge is measuring up to an extraordinary area, and continuing to offer consistently high quality wines that express their origin.
Sandro Chia is Italy’s most prominent contemporary artist that is living today.  He was commissioned by the Guggenheim museum in Manhattan NY to exhibit his work and then went on to make very good money as an artist.  Filippo his son has taken over the winery as of the 2004 harvest and is now in control of the production at the Castel.
We have developed a friendship with Filippo Chia over the years and have had an opportunity to break bread with him to discuss his family’s winery and the newest releases from the winery.  On his most recent visit here we discussed his experience growing up with his father being a famous artist and having Andy Warhol painting several portraits of him as a child, these are probably worth huge money today.  Filippo had a very good childhood compared to his grandfather, who died penniless and homeless.   Thus, one of Sandro’s goals in life was to have a castle to provide for the next generation and to carry on his success as an artist, vintner and most importantly as a father.
Since Sandro Chia bottled his first "Romito del Romitorio" in 1984, he has made clear that his pursuit of artistic perfection displays itself not only on the painted canvas but also in the glass.  Over twenty-five years of success in art and winemaking has given Castello Romitorio the opportunity to refine their methods even further.