Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2021

Castello Romitorio | Tuscany
Soc. Agr. Castello Romitorio srl. | Loc. Romitorio 279 I IT 53024 Montalcino

29652221 · 0,75 l · 86,67 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shippingavailable immediately

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 sites 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.

In 2021, Filippo Chia decided not to produce a Riserva. The fruit from all seven parcels – vineyards between 200 and 450 metres – flowed entirely into the Annata. Fermentation in cement, maceration between 18 and 30 days depending on the plot and skin thickness, then 24 months of ageing in large wooden barrels, with a small proportion in second and third passage tonneaux.

The result bears this decision with dignity: Marasca cherry, violet, pomegranate on the nose, with sage, leather and a hint of soya over time – complex and opening up in layers. The flavour is open and powerful at the same time, with densely woven, fine tannins and a freshness that carries through the long finish. A Brunello that gives patience – and which already shows why this artist has rightly become a winemaker. SUPERIORE.DE