Brunello 2021 & Riserva 2020

In 1991, Luigi Fabbro and Katia Nussbaum discovered an abandoned hilltop south-east of Montalcino: no water, no electricity – but 600-year-old olive trees and soil that had not seen any chemicals for decades. That was exactly what they were looking for. Gigi, a Friulian with experience in mapping biodiversity in the Amazon, and Katia, a London-based anthropologist, became pioneers of the biodynamic movement in Montalcino. All vintages have been certified organic since 2001. Of the 35 hectares, only four and a half are planted with vines. The rest: woodland, wilderness, corridors for animals and insects. "I see every bottle as a work of performance art," says Katia. "Our entire philosophy of life is embodied in the wine." The entry-level Brunello comes from the northern slopes, on loamy-marly soils. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, followed by three-and-a-half years' ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels.

In the early 14th century, a document from Castelnuovo dell'Abate mentions a place name: "Vallocchio Brunello" – situated between the fields known as "Podio Rubeo" and "Piage di Monte Caprile". This is the earliest documented reference to viticulture in this municipality. Seven centuries later, the five oldest vineyards of Tenuta Fanti stand on precisely this land. History has never ceased here. Filippo Fanti has studied, tended and observed this terroir for decades. In 2010, the time had come – the first Vallocchio. Since then, it has been released only in exceptional vintages: no pressure, no annual promise, but a selective statement of what the site truly has to offer in a particular season. Five hectares, vines aged between 20 and 35 years, well-drained, medium-textured galestro soils at an altitude of 230 to 250 metres above sea level. Hand-harvested from the second half of September until mid-October, depending on the aspect and plot.

The history of La Pieve began in 1997 with a decision: Sergio Rossi decided to plant further vineyards in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, to the south-east of Montalcino. The land there follows the slope like a natural amphitheatre; the vines are planted in a radial pattern on the hillside and receive plenty of sunshine. The soil is predominantly sandy-silty, rich in rock fragments and with a significant limestone content. The slopes provide protection from cold northerly winds and salty sea breezes, and the nights cool down considerably. From this, the estate produces a single-vineyard Brunello which, in the estate's view, epitomises elegance and precision. The grapes are harvested by hand and sorted on harvest; the berries are destemmed, followed by approximately two weeks' fermentation on the skins in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then transferred to large Slavonian oak barrels for ageing.

North-west of Montalcino, where the hills become wilder and shadier and the view stretches towards the Maremma, Castello Romitorio lies in a secluded spot that truly lives up to the estate's name. Romitorio – hermitage. When Sandro Chia acquired the dilapidated castle in 1984, it had been uninhabited for decades, having most recently served as a shelter for shepherds and their flocks. He filled it with art and planted the slopes with old Sangiovese clones – without realising what distinctive character this north-western microclimate would one day bring to the bottle. The vineyards receive less direct sunlight than the south-facing slopes; temperatures are cooler and ripening occurs later – conditions that lend the Sangiovese elegance rather than power.

Founded in 1970, Poggio Antico is one of the defining names of the last fifty years in Montalcino, having been run for over three decades by the Milanese couple Paola Gloder and Alberto Montefiori. In 2017, Paola Gloder sold the estate to Marcel Van Poecke, a Belgian energy entrepreneur and founder of Atlas Invest – a graduate in agricultural science for whom entering the wine business was less a hobby and more a return to his first love.

Le Ragnaie is located on the highest vineyards in Montalcino. Riccardo Campinoti, who took over the estate in 2002 together with his American wife Jennifer, has created a vineyard here at an altitude of – 530 to 600 metres above sea level, surrounded by oak forests, olive groves and a small lake – has realised a philosophy that cannot be taken for granted in Montalcino: maximum transparency. No purchasing, no concentration through technology, no new barriques. Natural yeasts, concrete tanks, long macerations, Slavonian oak barrels. The wine tells what the vineyard says – and nothing more. The name of the estate refers to the ragnatela, the spider's web – the shape of the traditional bird-catching nets that were once spun here when Montalcino was poor and people caught birds to feed themselves. The history of Brunello has changed this. But the nets – in the figurative sense – have remained: fine, taut, precise. Brunello di Montalcino is the assemblage of all the parcels of the estate – a combination of the different exposures and altitudes of the central zone, vinified separately and only bottled together after three years.

Brunello di Montalcino has been produced at the Argiano estate since 1888. This means that this estate has been there from the very beginning, when this grape variety, this place and this name began to write one of Italy's greatest wine stories. More than a century in a single location, guided by a single conviction: "Il Brunello è l'anima di Argiano – elegance, finesse and identity." Sant'Angelo in Colle lies in south-western Montalcino, the warmest and most distinctly Mediterranean part of the appellation. The soils consist of marl, ancient clays and limestone in high concentration – compact and mineral-rich – a site that lends the Sangiovese a depth quite different from that of the soils to the north. Organic cultivation, limited yields, vines between 15 and 60 years old.

Le Macioche takes its name from the root of the strawberry tree, the corbezzolo – known as "la macioca" in the local dialect. It is precisely this shrub that forms the woods surrounding the small, approximately six-hectare estate, three of which are classified as Brunello vineyards. For several years now, a new, simple logo has symbolised this deep-rooted connection: a macioca root burrowing into the ground – a symbol of the vine's strength and its connection to the land, conceived in a modern spirit yet firmly anchored in the tradition of Montalcino. The vines are situated at an altitude of 420 metres, facing south-southeast, on soil rich in galestra. They are trained using the Guyot system, with yields deliberately kept low through summer thinning, and fermentation carried out exclusively with indigenous yeasts. The alcoholic fermentation of the Brunello takes place in traditional wooden vats – a process that lends depth to the Sangiovese Grosso without over-aggressively manipulating it.

Castelnuovo dell'Abate has a character all of its own – rougher, denser and more mineral than many other parts of the appellation. The loamy-sandy soils with their high proportion of stone, the vineyards situated between 150 and 350 metres, the shelter provided by Monte Amiata, and the cool nights from the Orcia Valley: anyone who plants vines here will produce Sangiovese with real character. Andrea Cortonesi has been planting vines here for almost four decades. 2021 proved a challenging year for this terroir – and for the winemaker. The late frost in April hit lower-lying plots hard, and the harvest was around 15% smaller overall than the previous year. A hot, dry summer followed, before two spells of rain in the second half of August provided the vineyards with water and gave the grapes their final aromatic depth. The long September nights did the rest: phenolic ripeness, without any signs of heat stress, and without compromising on freshness. What Uccelliera subsequently brought into the cellar was concentrated, healthy, clear – and possessed that crisp fruit intensity that makes Castelnuovo wines so distinctive.

In 1970, Caparzo produced its first Brunello, at a time when there were just thirteen wineries in Montalcino – one of the appellation's historic estates. What continues to set Caparzo's Brunello apart to this day is the provenance of its Sangiovese grapes: The estate is one of the few in Montalcino to own vineyards spread across various geographical zones throughout the entire appellation. Rather than drawing from a single terroir, this Brunello combines the microclimates of four vineyards into a complex whole: "Caparzo" itself in the north at 220 metres, sandy-clay Pliocene sediments; "La Caduta" in the south-west at 300 metres, loose, stony sandstone-schist; "Il Cassero" in the south at 270 metres, Pliocene sediments with a sandy, stony and schistose matrix; and "San Piero-Caselle" in the east at 250 metres, sandy-clayey.

This is certainly unique: one year's production. One cask. Thirty hectolitres of Slavonian oak – and within it, the Spina family's entire ambition for their Brunello Annata. No second cask as a reserve. No possibility of correcting, topping up or diluting. What matures in this vessel is the annual production of the Annata: the 2.5-hectare Brunello vineyard at 380 metres near Castelnuovo dell'Abate, the calcareous marl, four decades of manual labour, and the decisions made each year. Sesta di Sopra produces around 4,000 bottles of vintage Brunello – that is less than some estates quietly allow to disappear into their blends. 2021 was the year of transparency in Montalcino. Cool nights and warm days gave the Sangiovese that nervous tension which critics describe as "vertical" – energy rather than mass, precision rather than opulence. In the single barrel in which Sesta di Sopra allowed its grapes to mature, this vintage was simply outstanding!

"Fragrant, precise and vertical." This is how some Masters of Wine describe the 2021 Brunello vintage – fragrant, precise, vertical. Rarely does an official assessment capture the very essence of a wine so accurately. Yet 2021 was no easy year. An unusual late frost in April decimated yields, delayed growth – and, quietly, did the wine a world of good. No extreme heatwaves followed. No drought stress to send the vines into a panic. Instead: a steady summer, dry ripening, and a relaxed harvest from the end of September onwards. The soils of Montalcino's eastern slopes – that mixture of red clay, limestone and slate – came into their own in 2021. San Filippo's organic certification pays particular dividends in years like these: living soils that retain water and deliver precision.

Montalcino is a hill. To be more precise: a single large cone of limestone, marl, slate and sand, rising above the Val d'Orcia – facing north, south-east and south-west, and characterised by three completely different climates. Most producers in the appellation have access to one of these slopes. Val di Suga boasts all three: Vigna del Lago in the north-west, Poggio al Granchio in the south-east and Vigna Spuntali in the south-west. Three soils, three microclimates, three characters – and a single winery that brings them all together under one roof. The entry-level Brunello is the result of this unique location: a cuvée blending all three vineyards, aiming not for simplification but for synthesis. Fermentation lasts eight to twelve days at a controlled temperature, with maceration continuing for a further two to three weeks. The wine is aged for 24 months in traditional 50-hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels, followed by six months in concrete, then bottled. The 2021 vintage saw a late frost in April – the harvest was reduced, the quality concentrated. A dry summer without extreme heat, followed by a long, steady autumn. The Consorzio and a jury of eight Masters of Wine agreed on three words to characterise the vintage: fragrant, precise, vertical.

Montalcino, November 2008. Gianni Brunelli's thread was severed – as Laura herself puts it (he passed away). Anyone familiar with the elegance with which the estate has been run since then will understand that this was not the beginning of an end, but rather a different kind of continuity: quieter, more focused, perhaps even more resolute. Laura Brunelli, a biologist from Sardinia who has been the driving force behind two institutions for decades – the Osteria Le Logge in Siena and the vineyards on the slopes of Montalcino – has not replaced Gianni. She has carried on. And that is a difference you can taste in the glass.

Prètto. A word from the Tuscan dialect – true, sincere, schietto. Carlo Ferrini could not have chosen a more fitting name for a wine that is exactly that: no pretence, no posturing, but Sangiovese in its most direct form. The Prètto is a collaborative effort – born out of a dialogue between father and daughter, between three decades of experience and a younger generation that sees Montalcino through fresh eyes. Bianca Ferrini, born in 1990, has given the Giodo project a very special voice with this wine. Four hectares of Sangiovese in Sant'Angelo in Colle, south-west of Montalcino, at an altitude of 360 metres with a south-easterly aspect. Medium-heavy, stony soil, 6,600 vines per hectare – a density that creates stress and forces concentration. Hand-harvested, 20 days' maceration in steel and concrete, with délestage halfway through fermentation. This is followed by around 30 months' ageing in wooden barrels of 500, 700 and 2,500 Liters– medium to large vessels that give the wine structure without imparting excessive oak character. Followed by six months in concrete tanks, then a further 12 months in bottle. 12,000 bottles were produced.

On warm days, a resinous, musky scent rises from the edges of the hedges. Helichrysum – the strawflower, which the Italians also call "Immortelle", meaning "the immortal". It grows wild amongst the rocks and shrubs that line San Polino's highest vineyards. When Katia and Gigi were looking for a name for their finest wine, they didn't have to look far. The five hectares surrounding the farmhouse lie at an altitude of 450 metres, facing south and surrounded by Mediterranean scrub and woodland. The view stretches towards Monte Amiata – the sacred mountain of the Etruscans, seat of their highest gods, the Tuscan Olympus. The soils bear witness to two mighty forces: the volcanic eruption of Monte Amiata 180,000 years ago, which left behind quartz and metamorphic clay, and the retreat of the Pliocene Sea, which left behind sandy loam and shell fossils. Thin, complex soil – poor in nutrients, rich in character. Up here, the sirocco blows in from the Sahara. The temperature differences between day and night are enormous. The grapes ripen slowly, developing thick skins and concentrated aromas. "Ah ... 2018', Katia once said of a cooler vintage, 'at last you can smell Sangiovese grapes instead of just blackcurrants and undergrowth.' Helichrysum is all about precisely this clarity – about terroir rather than heat, about soil rather than opulence.

Love is madness. And madness, says Francesco Illy, always creates something magical. This statement is not only the inspiration behind the name of this wine – it explains the entire Podere Le Ripi project: in 1997, a nature photographer bought a wild stretch of Tuscan countryside near Castelnuovo dell'Abate, planted it according to biodynamic principles, surrounded himself with a young, ambitious team – and created one of the most unconventional Brunello producers in the appellation. "Amore e Magia" comes from the eastern side of Montalcino, where Monte Amiata protects the vineyards from harsh weather like a silent guardian and sends cool downdrafts through the vines at night. The soil here is ancient and salty – oceanic clay and limestone from a time when these hills were still the seabed. You can taste it. A vibrant, iodine-rich minerality that carries the wine from within. Fermentation with wild yeasts in open vats, 50 days' contact with the skins – no intervention, just consistency. Then three years in large oak barrels, followed by cement. No new oak to overpower the wine. No compromise to smooth it out.

Lisini produces four Brunelli. Each embodies a different philosophy – the Annata represents balance and approachability, the Ugolaia the character of a single vineyard, and the new Poggio Severo a cooler, higher-altitude plot. The Riserva stands for something else: tradition. The estate itself calls it the most traditional wine in its entire portfolio – not because it is older, but because it embodies the classic Montalcino ideal: concentration, depth, patience. It is produced from a rigorous selection of the finest grapes from the entire estate – from the vineyards around Sant'Angelo in Colle and the Sesta site near Castelnuovo dell'Abate. Not a single vineyard, but the sum of the very best a vintage has to offer. The maceration period, at 20 to 26 days, is longer than for the Annata, and the ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels is correspondingly extended.

Some wineries tell their story on display boards. At Fuligni, it's embedded in the walls. The palazzo in the heart of Montalcino dates back to the 17th century – the Medici family once resided here, and a Spanish princess left behind a room that still bears her name today. Beneath it, deeper than the palazzo itself, lie the cellars: built at the end of the 16th century, with vaulted ceilings in "tecnica mista", and completely naturally insulated. This is where the Brunello matures in Slavonian oak barrels. This is also where it matured when Giovanni Maria Fuligni came to Montalcino at the start of the 20th century – and it matures here, just as his ancestors in the Maremma made wine before him, without interruption, without taking any shortcuts.

In 2021, the Montalcino DOCG produced a vintage of rare clarity. Cooler nights, marked temperature fluctuations, a slow and steady ripening process lasting well into October – these are the conditions that allow Sangiovese Grosso to reveal what lies beyond the fruit: minerality, structure, and the subtle geological layers of a vineyard that has been producing wine since the Middle Ages. Pieve Santa Restituta vinifies according to this philosophy: each of the plots – Sugarille, Rennina, Santo Pietro, Castagno, Pian dei Cerri and Torrenieri in the north-east of the appellation – is harvested, fermented and macerated separately. Only after individual ageing in oak for 24 months is the final blend for the vintage determined through extensive blind tastings. Six months in concrete tanks before bottling.

Gigliola Giannetti was born at the Argiano vineyard, the daughter of a cellar worker. She grew up amongst the barrels and vines; the scent of fermenting must was the scent of her childhood. At the age of 19, she went to work for Franco Biondi Santi; later, Giulio Gambelli encouraged her to make her own wine. In 1993, the time had come: her first plot of land, her first child – her daughter Viola. Three years later, she acquired a further two hectares and welcomed her daughter Sofia. Today, three women work together in the cellar, representing three generations of Montalcino in a single line. Le Potazzine is one of the highest-altitude estates in the appellation: 450 to 530 metres, where the harvest begins up to three weeks later than in the valley. What was once considered a disadvantage is now worth its weight in gold – the grapes ripen slowly, retain their acidity and develop finesse rather than mere power. The winemaking process is uncompromisingly traditional: spontaneous fermentation, 30 to 45 days' maceration, no temperature control. The wine then rests for 42 months in large Slavonian oak barrels – six months longer than is even required for a Riserva. Every Brunello from Le Potazzine is therefore, in fact, a Riserva. Why don’t they call it that? Modesty, or perhaps quiet pride.

Wolves and sirens. The coat of arms of Podere Le Ripi bears both – the wild and the seductive, the earthbound and the mythical. It is no coincidence that the Riserva bears this name. It is both. The vineyard is located on the eastern side of Montalcino, near Castelnuovo dell'Abate, where oceanic marl soil with a granite skeleton has been shaping the vines for millions of years. The vines are planted in Alberello – the old, bush-like training system in which each plant fights for itself, roots deeply, gives little and gives everything. 11,000 vines per hectare. Biodynamic, without concessions to simplicity. The vinification follows an inner logic that Sebastian Nasello thinks through to the end: spontaneous fermentation, maceration for 20 to 25 days in open oak vats – 80 per cent with classic pumping over, 20 per cent according to the Piedmontese principle of skin infusion. Then 36 months in large wooden barrels, followed by 14 months in cement. No shortcuts. No cosmetics. Just time and conviction.

Forty vintages. You have to let that melt in your mouth: When Pierluigi Talenti left the mountains of his native Romagna in the early 1950s and came to the hills of Montalcino, he not only found work at Sant'Angelo in Colle, but also his life's work. For over four decades, he shaped one of the appellation's most famous addresses as cellar master of Il Poggione – and is still considered one of the founding fathers of modern Brunello. He selected his own Sangiovese clones, set new quality standards and became a role model for an entire generation. In 1980, at the end of this era, he bought the Podere Pian di Conte – an old estate with a round tower overlooking the Orcia Valley – and began to press his own Brunello. Pierluigi died in 1999. Since then, grandson Riccardo has run the estate with the same tenacity, advised by Carlo Ferrini and supported by the knowledge that there is something special in these soils of sandy loam, clay and galestro.

Montalcino has many faces. In the south, where the soil is deeper and warmer, Brunelli are produced with lush vigour and Mediterranean richness. In the north, in the Montosoli area, a different voice speaks: cooler, more mineral, characterised by a tension that defines classic vintages. Here lies Valdicava – in the Val di Cava, the valley of the quarries, at 350 metres, with a soil of galestro, limestone and clay that has given Sangiovese Grosso its characteristic structure for three generations. Bramante Abbruzzese bought the estate in 1953 and his grandson Vincenzo took over in the 1980s, turning Valdicava into what Robert Parker described as one of the three or four best Brunello addresses in Italy.