Wines from Tuscany | Montalcino

Sandro Chia's remarkable 2020 vintage is taut, forward and downright bold in the glass. On the palate, it impresses with a lot of natural richness and beautiful opulence of fruit, complemented by varietal elements of wild cherry, blue flowers and soft earth. Secondary flavours of tobacco, cedar and cinnamon then quickly surprise, adding complexity and personality to the wine, which is built up in many deep layers. It has wonderful potential for further ageing in the bottle, but it is already an absolute delight and the quality of the fruit and its length make it irresistible. SUPERIORE.DE

North-west of Montalcino, where the hills become wilder and shadier and the view extends towards the Maremma, lies Castello Romitorio in a secluded location that lives up to the name of the estate. Romitorio – hermitage. When Sandro Chia acquired the dilapidated castle in 1984, it had been uninhabited for decades, most recently a shelter for shepherds and their flocks. He paved it with art and planted the slopes with old Sangiovese clones – without knowing what speciality this north-western microclimate strip would one day bring to the bottle. The vineyards receive less direct sunlight than the southern slopes, the temperatures are cooler and ripening is later – conditions that give the Sangiovese elegance rather than vigour.

The grapes for the Annata, which was certified organic for the first time in 2020, come from a 13-hectare site at an altitude of 500 metres. The soils here are somewhat lighter and stonier than the average for the appellation, with slate-rich Galestro and calcareous Alberese. As always, Poggio Antico's 2020 vintage is authentic and classic, with bright fruit tones, wild cherries, roasted nuts, blue flowers and forest floor. While the other wines in the portfolio mature in smaller tonneaux, this wine is aged in large Slavonian barrels. We like the energetic lift and the simultaneous brightness of the fruit - the winery achieves this like no other. As the wine progresses, the approach is very delicate with a convincing intensity of floral aromas and a silky mouthfeel. A lively acidity ensures balance and freshness right to the end, while a salty, mineral note is added on the finish. As always, this Brunello from the best winery is a safe bet! SUPERIORE.DE

Podere Uccelliera is located on the south-eastern slope of the hill of Castelnuovo dell'Abate, where the view falls on the extinct volcano Monte Amiata and the breeze from the Orcia Valley blows through the vineyards. Not a large estate, not a marketing machine. Nine hectares, one man, one idea of wine. Andrea Cortonesi comes from a Mezzadria family that cultivated these lands for generations, long before Brunello was a word the world knew. In 1986, he bought the old Podere – with centuries-old olive trees, half a hectare of vines and the firm intention of creating something lasting here. He had previously worked at Ciacci Piccolomini, Poggio di Sotto and Mastrojanni – as a cellar master, as an observer, as a learner. What he took with him was not a recipe. It was a flair. He vinified his first Brunello in 1991.

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.

Poggio di Sotto was founded in 1989 in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, at the south-easternmost tip of Montalcino, where the view extends over the Orcia Valley and Monte Amiata breaks the hot summers. The estate lies at an altitude of 200 to 400 metres, on Galestro and Alberese – those slate-rich, poor soils that leave the Sangiovese no choice but to grow deep roots and concentrated yields. 20 of the 48 hectares are planted with vines. More than 180 Sangiovese biotypes grow here – a genetic heritage that no clone in the world can replace. The Rosso di Montalcino comes from the same vineyards as the Brunello – selected according to the same criteria, with the same hands, at the same time. What distinguishes it is not the quality of the grapes, but the time of release. Fermentation in wooden and concrete vats, spontaneous fermentation, long maceration periods, then 24 months maturation in 30-hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels. Unfiltered.

Anyone looking for the truth in Sangiovese will find it here: Laura Brunelli's Montalcino has been a stunning wine full of vitality, life and energy for years. It displays an almost outrageous degree of clarity and openness. It unfolds brightly and radiantly with lasting purity, elegance and length. This Brunello shows extreme precision and focus, both on the nose and in the mouthfeel. Wild berries, blue flowers and liquorice come together in perfection, and it is impossible to surpass this quality at this price. SUPERIORE.DE

2019 was a strong year in Montalcino and this vintage shows balance and proud character. Opens with bright cherry fruit, menthol, balsamic herbs, minerals and soft earthy tones. On the palate, mint and sage form the backdrop to bright cherry with a hint of sweet spice. It's feminine and remarkably pretty, showing red fruits with savoury minerals and inner flowers that accumulate towards the finish. The tannins are round and nuanced, classically dry but in no way fatiguing or austere. This symmetry and great length are simply fascinating. SUPERIORE.DE

When Zefiro Pieri saw the old farmhouse in the hamlet of Sesta in 1950, between centuries-old olive groves and the rolling hills south of Montalcino, he knew that this was where he would stay. He planted the first Brunello vines, initially selling the grapes to others – until his grandson bottled his first own wine in 1991. Today, Claudio Monaci and Silvia Batazzi are the fourth generation to run the estate, while their daughters Caterina and Emma are already waiting in the wings. Sant'Angelo in Colle, just a stone's throw away, is considered one of the finest Brunello locations: volcanic, stony soils, permeable and warm, while the Orcia Valley carries the sea breeze from the Tyrrhenian Sea 45 kilometres away to the vineyards. Claudio and Silvia select the best Sangiovese grapes of the vintage for their Riserva. Spontaneous fermentation in concrete with the vineyard's own yeasts, followed by 40 months of ageing in large vats – time enough to gain depth without losing the fruit. The 2019 epitomises a classic vintage in the best sense of the word: concentrated yet lively, with that balance that only comes about when cool nights and Mediterranean warmth play in harmony.

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.

"The 2020 expresses itself through opulence, intensity, fruit and softness, but also manages to emphasise the depth and freshness, the floral notes, in an enveloping and elegant balance." Francesco Ripaccioli

The Cotarella family's Le Macioche Brunello 2020 shows balance and character, opening with bright cherry fruit, menthol, balsamic herbs, minerals and soft earthy tones. On the palate, the wine unfolds with lightness, silky and refined, with a pure presentation of ripe red berries accompanied by violet-coloured flowers and a hint of leather. Although grippy and structured, it remains energetic and fresh on the final, leaving a hint of violets and lavender. SUPERIORE.DE

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino (of which only 4,000 bottles were made) offers great balance and a very pretty personality, based on bright cherries, some earthiness and crushed flowers on the nose. The wine is very supple and integrated, especially in terms of its polished tannins, and there is of course a wonderfully perky spot of bright acidity at the end. A beautiful wine full of verve and grace with waves of red and black berries over its savoury and mineral core. A rich, grippy tannin accompanies the juicy final, which ends with delicate notes of almonds and roses. SUPERIORE.DE

Castelnuovo dell'Abate has a character all of its own – rougher, denser and more mineral-driven 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.

Here is another outstanding 2019 Brunello from a winery that is still considered an insider tip given its small size and limited annual production. Medium, bright ruby red colour. Exotic aromas of minerals and citrus fruits, reminiscent of red cherries, blood oranges and Asian spices, with a floral nuance that gains strength with air. The palate is supple and expansive, with sweet flavours of red cherries and dark plums carried by a powerful acidity. Densely packed, at once fleshy and broad, but also lively and precise. On the strikingly long finish, it shows excellent power and cut, characterised by youthful, dusty tannins and a hint of candied violets. As is so often the case, this is one of the best Brunellos of the vintage and still completely under the radar of many Sangiovese lovers. SUPERIORE.DE

Here is another outstanding 2020 Brunello from a winery that is still considered an insider tip given its small size and limited annual production. Medium, bright ruby red colour. Exotic aromas of minerals and citrus fruits reminiscent of red cherries, blood oranges and Asian spices, with a floral nuance that gains strength with air. The palate is supple and expansive, with sweet flavours of red cherries and dark plums carried by a powerful acidity. Densely packed, at once fleshy and broad, but also lively and precise. On the strikingly long finish, it shows excellent power and cut, characterised by youthful, dusty tannins and a hint of candied violets. As is so often the case, this is one of the best Brunellos of the vintage and still completely under the radar of many Sangiovese lovers. SUPERIORE.DE

Helichrysum is a selection of the best grapes from the highest parcel of the estate, where the soils are both clayey and of volcanic origin.

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!

"Fragrante, definite e verticale." This is how some Masters of Wine describe the 2021 Brunello vintage – fragrant, precise, vertical. Rarely does an official assessment so accurately capture the essence of a wine. Yet 2021 was not an easy year. An unusually late frost in April decimated the quantities, delayed growth and – and quietly did the wine some good. No extreme heatwaves afterwards. No drought stress to panic the vines. Instead: an even summer, dry ripening, a relaxed harvest from the end of September. The soils on the eastern slopes of Montalcino, a mixture of red clay, limestone and slate, came into their own in 2021. San Filippo's organic certification pays off particularly well 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 that rises above the Val d'Orcia – exposed to the north, south-east and south-west, characterised by three completely different climates. Most of the producers in the appellation have access to one of these slopes. Val di Suga has all three. Vigna del Lago in the north-west, Poggio al Granchio in the south-east, Vigna Spuntali in the south-west. Three soils, three microclimates, three characters – and a single winery that unites them all under one roof. The basic Brunello is the result of this unique position: a cuvée from all three sites that does not aim for simplification, but for synthesis. Fermentation takes eight to twelve days at a controlled temperature, with maceration lasting a further two to three weeks. Maturation in traditional 50-hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels for 24 months, followed by six months in concrete and then the bottle. The 2021 vintage brought a late frost in April – the harvest was reduced, the quality concentrated. A dry summer without extreme heat, a long, even autumn. The Consorzio and a jury of eight Masters of Wine agreed on three words to characterise the vintage: fragrant, precise, vertical.

Montalcino in November 2008. Gianni Brunelli's thread broke – as Laura herself put it (he passed away). Anyone familiar with the elegance with which the winery 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 focussed, perhaps even more resolute. Laura Brunelli, biologist, Sardinian, soul of two institutions for decades – osteria Le Logge in Siena and the wineries on the slopes of Montalcino – has not replaced Gianni. She has carried on. And that's a difference you can feel in the glass.