A Dual Continent Winemaking Project: Casadei and Cline

Seven years ago Stefano Casadei and Fred Cline met over dinner for the first time. Now they are making a wine named Casadei, a total heart-throb red, together. That's not all. The Cline family is importing Stefano's Castello del Trebbio wines, too. Saluti! 

89
Casadei 2016 Sogno Mediterraneo Toscana IGT 14% 

This blend of 60% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre is a joint effort from Stefano Casadei and Fred Cline. It's a decisively Mediterranean blend, not only in grape varieties but also in style. It is crisply dry and super savory. Scents of warm leather accent baked red cherries and dried cranberries. There's a definitive tone of scrub brush on the medium finish. It's a robust wine that shows excellent structure with just a hint of tugging grip.
Drink: 2019-21 

87
Castello del Trebbio 2017 Chianti Superiore DOCG 13%
l'll be honest: I am wary of the Chianti Superiore DOCG. So, I was relieved that I didn't need to be in the case of this one! (Brief rewind: Chianti Superiore DOCG wines bear the name "Chianti" - often - without showing off the pedigree of Chianti Classico DOCG.) A blend of the local Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo, this wine packs in youthful verve with perky acidity and tea leaf-like tannins. It has a juicy core of sweet strawberries, rhubarb and red currants. The light-bodied, whispery finish tastes of Chinese five-spice. This is a very exotic wine that ticks all the boxes, including the value one!
Drink: 2019-20

87
Castello del Trebbio 2014 De' Pazzi Toscana IGT 14% 
This full-bodied, Super Tuscan blend of 60% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 20% Syrah is savory, tantalizingly biting in tannins and "wow" on flavor. It tastes of ripe raspberries and red plums rolled in tobacco leaves doused with incense. The firm tannins turn a bit rubbery and grippy on the medium finish while the relaxed acidity refreshes the palate discreetly. This is definitely a wine for the table, and it is a feast for the senses!
Drink: 2019-20