BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO WiINE _ 5 TOP PRODUCERS (Wine Collecting).

Brunello di Montalcino was one of my all-time favorite regions, so in this video, I'm going to provide an overview of the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG and then discuss five of my favorite producers of Brunello. In the mid-1860s, Clemente Santi began producing wine from red grapes that were grown on Tenuta Grepo. Years later, his grandson, Ferruccio Biondi, took over and built upon Clemente's work. Ferruccio recognized his grandfather's achievements and ultimately called the winery Biondi Santi in part to honor his grandfather. Significantly, Ferruccio also took some clones from some of the historic mother vines planted at Tenuta Grepo, put them on American rootstock, and ultimately propagated what became known as the famous BBS clone. Brunello di Montalcino must be 100% Sangiovese. So why is it called Brunello? Well, they'd use the word brun because that means brown and the wines were dark. They also added the ello at the end because muscadello was a common grape in Tuscany at that time. And then they added Montalcino to reflect the town of origin. So they put it all together and ended up with Brunello di Montalcino. Biondi Santi was the only commercial producer in the area for decades. That continued through World War II. And in fact, even in the 1960s, there were only 11 producers of wine in the area and only about 250 hectares of vineyards. That's changed dramatically, however, and there's been rapid expansion in the past 50 years. Now there's more than 250 wineries producing Brunello di Montalcino and more than 2,100 hectares of vineyards. In 1980, Brunello di Montalcino became one of the first four appellations in Italy to receive the prestigious DOCG designation. Montalcino is located in southern Tuscany. It's generally warmer and drier than Chianti Classico, at least in part due to this more southerly location. Montalcino is located a short 40 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea. This proximity to the sea results in cooling breezes through the region that help to preserve freshness and acidity in the grapes. Elevation in Montalcino tends to range between about 120 meters above sea level to around 500 meters above sea level. In general, the lower flatter areas tend to be in the southern part of the appellation, which also have a lot of clay soils. And in the northern part of the appellation, you tend to get the highest elevation, closer to 500 meters above sea level. And there you'll find more of the galestro soils. Due to the difference in elevation in soil types, you tend to get wines that have a little bit more of a full body in the south, with a little bit less aromatic intensity. Whereas to the north, you'll have wines that can be a little bit more elegant, a little bit lower in alcohol by volume percentage, but which have more pronounced aromatics. Unlike in Chianti, blending of grape varieties is not permitted. So Brunella di Montalcino is 100% Sangiovese. There's also an extended aging requirement for Brunella. Brunella di Montalcino may not be released until five years after the harvest, and it must spend at least two of those years maturing in oak. Brunella di Montalcino Reserva may not be released until six years after the harvest, and it also must spend at least two of those years in oak. Those looking for seller defenders for their Brunella di Montalcino may wish to consider Rosso di Montalcino. Like Brunello, Rosso di Montalcino is 100% Sangiovese. The aging requirement, however, is only one year from harvest, and so you can oftentimes find some excellent Rosso di Montalcino at very attractive pricing, and it's also ready to drink immediately. In the past, Rosso di Montalcino had a reputation as being a bit of an afterthought. That's beginning to change, however. Biondi Santi, for example, has been using a much more strict selection for its Brunella di Montalcino. That's resulted in a lot of the fruit that used to go into the Biondi Santi Brunello going into the Rosso di Montalcino for Biondi Santi. Other producers in the area are taking note and following suit, so definitely keep that in mind and be open-minded when it comes to trying some Rosso di Montalcino on a going-forward basis. For those looking to add Brunella di Montalcino to their collection, this is an ideal time to be looking, as both 2015 and 2016 were excellent vintages. While they're on to the 2017 vintage for the standard Brunella di Montalcino now, the 2016 Reservas were also recently released, and you can still find some 2015s and 2016s in the supply chain if you do a little bit of digging. If you're looking for older vintages, I would keep an eye out for 2001, 2006, 2007, and 2010, and personally I'm also a fan of 2004 as well. With that by way of background, let's get into my five favorite producers. It's no secret that I'm a huge Biondi Santi fan, and so Biondi Santi is the first of my favorite producers of Brunella di Montalcino. Biondi Santi is a historic producer and for many years was the only commercial producer in this region. The Biondi Santi vineyards at Tunuta Greppo range in This elevation helps to result in a substantial diurnal range. This is the difference between the daytime and the nighttime temperatures, and so it gets warm in the day, but then the temperatures drop off at night. This means that the daytime temperatures are warm enough for the grapes to achieve ripeness and concentration, yet when it cools off at night, these cooler nighttime temperatures help to preserve freshness and acidity in the fruit. Biondi Santi is a very traditional producer of Brunella di Montalcino. Among other things, what that means is that they prefer to mature their wines in large Slavonian oak casks, most of which are neutral. Biondi Santi believes it's a mistake to use a substantial percentage of new oak to mature Sangiovese, as Sangiovese is naturally rich in tannins, and by maturing that wine in new French oak, you can add aggressive tannins to Sangiovese. Biondi Santi produces its Brunella di Montalcino every vintage. Currently, that wine is made from vines that average around 10 to 25 years of age. This wine matures for three years in Slavonian oak casks and then spends another couple years in the bottle before it's released. Historically, this wine was the flagship wine and produced in the largest quantities, but as mentioned, the new ownership of Biondi Santi has implemented a more stringent selection for the Brunella di Montalcino, and as such, a lot less fruit is being used for this Brunella di Montalcino. Some of that fruit now goes into the Rosso di Montalcino, and so the quality for the Brunello has been trending upward the last couple years. In years when Biondi Santi does not produce a Reserva, that fruit will go into this Brunella di Montalcino as well. If you found it more difficult to locate Brunella di Montalcino from Biondi Santi, that could be due to the fact that not only are they using a more stringent selection, but the new ownership has also started a practice of setting aside some of the Brunella di Montalcino for library releases. As such, there's not only less of it being produced, but there's less of which is being produced being released into the market each vintage. The 2017 Biondi Santi Brunella di Montalcino was released a few weeks ago. I had it, and it's outstanding, and definitely one worth adding to your cellar. Of course, the 2016 Biondi Santi Brunella di Montalcino is probably going to be legendary, and so if you can find any more of that one, it's definitely worth buying as well. Those who are looking for the ultimate expression of Biondi Santi will want to buy the Biondi Santi Brunella di Montalcino Reserva. This is a special wine that's made in only excellent vintages, and in fact, since 1888, it's only been made in about 40 different vintages. When it is produced, it's made in very limited quantities, and of those limited quantities, an amazing 40% of the production is held back for library releases. Significantly, those who buy these Brunella di Montalcino Reservas from Biondi Santi are able to take advantage of a program where Biondi Santi will actually top off and inspect your wines with not just any Reserva, but with Reserva from the exact same vintage as your bottle. Once your bottle has been inspected, it will be certified and receive a tag like this bottle of 1985 Reserva. Getting your bottle inspected and certified will certainly enhance the secondary market value in the resale value of this wine, as it will be an assurance of provenance as well. The average age of the vines used to produce the fruit for the Reserva is higher than that for the Brunella di Montalcino. Specifically, it's around 25 years of age. The reason for the higher age for the Reserva is because that the fruit from the very old vines that were planted back in the 1930s on the El Grepo estate are always included in the Reserva in vintages when it is produced. The 2016 Reserva was just released a few weeks ago, and I tasted that one and it's absolutely phenomenal. I cannot recommend that wine highly enough. The 2015 Reserva is excellent also, and you should still be able to find that one as well. Il Poggione is one of the original three producers of Brunella di Montalcino. It's now run by the fifth generation of its founder. Il Poggione believes that the best red wines are produced in the vineyard. As such, Il Poggione is a big proponent of sustainability. Despite the fact that it's one of the largest producers of Brunella di Montalcino, all work in the vineyard is done by hand. Il Poggione completed construction of a new winery in 2004. As such, it has state-of-the-art facilities to produce its wine. The Il Poggione Brunella di Montalcino is always an excellent value. It currently sells for around $65 a bottle for new releases. 2015 and 2016 were excellent and I definitely highly recommend each of those vintages. The 2017 was released recently and is on store shelves now. In top vintages only, Il Poggione will also produce a Reserva. This Reserva is made in extremely limited quantities as the fruit comes from a single vineyard with very old vines that were planted way back in 1964. The Reserva matures for about four years in large French oak barrels and then undergoes extensive bottle aging before it's released. Both the 2015 and the 2016 Reserva are outstanding and you can't go wrong with either one of them. This is one that I definitely recommend that you give additional bottle age to, however, as it doesn't tend to show its best right after release. This one costs quite a bit more than the standard bottling, right around $110 or so, but certainly it's an excellent relative value compared to many of the Reservas in Brunella. If you're interested in wine recommendations, wine collecting strategies, and learning more about wine, please do subscribe to my channel. I've been collecting wine for more than 15 years and also have a level 4 diploma from the WSET, so I have both formal certification as well as substantial practical knowledge from the School of Hard Knocks. Founded back in 1982 Tenuta San Giorgio has a 142 hectare estate, 26 of which are planted to vineyards, and another 26 of which are planted to olive groves. Most of the Tenuta San Giorgio vineyards are at elevations around 400 meters above sea level. These vineyards are located in the southeast portion of Montalcino and they experience a high diurnal range. This is one of my favorite producers for value in This producer flies under the radar because its next-door neighbor is highly acclaimed Poggio de Soto, and in fact Tenuta San Giorgio shares a border with Poggio de Soto and they have the exact same winemaking team. In 2016, for example, the Tenuta San Giorgio Ugo Forte Brunella de Montalcino actually achieved higher scores than the Poggio de Soto Brunella de Montalcino, despite the fact that the Poggio de Soto sold for $235 a bottle and you could find the San Giorgio Ugo Forte for as little as $50 a bottle in the United States. So definitely an excellent value for this particular wine. The 2017 vintage of this wine sells for around $60 a bottle and was recently released. While this wine does not quite reach the heights of the 2016, it's certainly an excellent relative value and a compelling buy for a wine of this pedigree. My approach, however, has always been to stock up on exceptional vintages and so I would definitely check to see if you can locate any of the 2016 Tenuta San Giorgio before you buy any of the 2017. Casanova Deneri purchased its first vineyard in Montalcino in 1971 and made its first vintage of wine in 1978. Casanova Deneri is a family-owned winery that embraces sustainable farming practices and emphasizes obtaining the best quality fruit possible to reflect a unique expression of Sangiovese. They produce around 300,000 bottles of wine per year. The Casanova Deneri Brunella de Montalcino, which is also known as the White Label, is the flagship Brunella de Montalcino for this producer. This wine sells for around $75 to $80 on release in the United States. They just recently released the 2017 vintage. Despite the fact that this was a scorching vintage in Montalcino, this wine actually has some elegance to it. It does have around 15% alcohol by volume, but it nevertheless is quite balanced. However, I still would recommend seeking out the 2015 or the 2016 vintages if you can find one of those. Tenuta Nuova means new farm and the Casanova Deneri Tenuta Nuova is aptly named because the vines for this impressive wine were first planted in 1989 in an area that had never been used for viticulture before. Specifically, this fruit was planted in the southern portion of Montalcino in a single vineyard that has southern exposure. As such, this fruit always gets extremely ripe and is very concentrated and produces a wine that is full-bodied. Nevertheless, now that these vines are more than 30 years old, they're hitting their stride in producing wines of greater complexity. The 2016 vintage of this wine sold for around $125 and was well regarded by critics. Considering the southern location for this vineyard and the fact that 2017 was a scorching vintage in Montalcino, the 2017 version of this wine was surprisingly well received. It does not quite reach the heights of the 2016 and also, as mentioned, does sell for a little bit higher price. So I would definitely seek out the 2016 and buy that one if you can find it. Nevertheless, 2017 is an excellent option as well. If you'd like to try the highest expression of Granella di Montalcino from Casanova Deneri, you'll definitely want to consider the Cerro Talto. This highly acclaimed wine is only produced in top vintages. It's a single vineyard wine that comes from the very oldest vines that Casanova Deneri has, namely those that were planted way back in 1971 in the eastern portion of Montalcino. This wine matures for 30 months in oak and then spends another 30 months in bottle before it's released. This wine has a hefty price tag, however, and it sells for around $380 or so per bottle. It's definitely a bucket list wine and if you buy this wine, you'll definitely want to give it at five years before you start digging in. It's definitely not showing its best right when it's released. According to Antonio Galani, the next producer makes some of the most hauntingly beautiful profound wines anywhere in the world. And indeed, every time I've had these wines, it's always been an extraordinarily memorable experience. I'm talking about Soldera. Soldera was a man after my own heart and he had a strict no spitting policy. Anyone who visited the winery and spit was immediately thrown off the estate. Sadly, however, he passed away in 2019. But fortunately, his production methods and outstanding wines that he produces continue to live on. The fruit for the Soldera wines are grown in the vineyards using natural organic methods. There's a stringent selection of fruit and anything that's less than perfect is discarded. In the winery, there's an extended fermentation that can often take as long as a month to complete. Only the free run juice is used, so they don't use any press juice for this wine. That helps it to preserve its elegance. The wine then undergoes extended maturation in large Slavonian oak casks, followed by additional bottle aging before it's finally released. One December morning back in 2012, Soldera woke up and was told that all his wine was gone. He immediately went to the cellar and discovered that during the night a former employee had snuck into the cellar and drained 10 huge large oak casks filled with wine. As a result, most of the wine from the vintages from 2007 through 2012 was largely destroyed at a loss of more than 25 million dollars. Because of this tragedy, demand far exceeds supply for this wine and it's very very difficult to locate and prices are much higher than they were before this tragic incident. Before this incident, the Soldera was classified as a Brunello di Montalcino, but after this incident, Soldera withdrew from the Brunello Consortio and since 2013, beginning with the 2006 vintage, the Soldera wine has been labeled as a Toscana IGT, so it's no longer classified as a Brunello di Montalcino. I've only tried Soldera a few times, but it's always been an exceptional experience. I tried one with substantial age on it from 1991 and that one was a remarkable experience, but I also tried one that was a new release, a 2016 vintage about a year ago. That one showed just incredible purity of fruit, much like a high-end Burgundy, just absolutely extraordinary. There's been about four or five vintages in a row now since the tragic incident and so there's a little bit more of this wine in the marketplace than there used to be. As such, it's a little bit easier to locate than it was before, but it's extremely highly allocated and even those special retailers who do get an allocation typically only receive two or three bottles of vintage, so you'll definitely have to hustle to get your hands on one of these. And it won't be cheap either, it's about $600 or $700 a bottle in the United States. It's definitely a very worthy bucket list wine and one that you'll definitely want to try at least once. To learn more about iconic Brunello di Montalcino producer Biondi Santi, be sure to check out the video I did in the pinned comment below.