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Brunello tasting at CastelGiocondo, Frescobaldi      After a kind invitation from the Marchesi de'Frescobaldi I took my Fiat 500 and headed south west of Montalcino to the large estate of Castelgiacondo. A winding, almost endless road leads you to the beautiful castle which overlooks the today 300 hectares large estate. In 1970 the estate was founded by a French company, in partnership with the Frescobaldi family. Together they developed the estate and also brought innovation to the area by introducing the variety of Merlot. The family of Frescobaldi eventually bought the whole estate in 1989 and then went a step further to put Brunello on the world map by entering into a partnership with the Mondavi family in '95. The result was a modern wine, a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot and aged in new oak. Luce.   Now to the wines.    The lineup that accompanied the delicious lunch was as follows:    CastelGiocondo, Brunello di Montalcino, 2008 14.5%  

What strikes me about this wine is the deep ruby color and what I like to call a "high extract" nose. This is a concentrated and slightly fruit driven Brunello with hints of oak. Combined with a medium finish this is without doubt a great example of an entry level Brunello.      CastelGiocondo, Brunello di Montalcino, Riserva, 2006 13.5%

This has an even deeper and warmer nose, despite lower alcohol content. Matured red and dark fruit is mixed with hints of caramel, coffee and a minty character. The mature red fruit continues on the palate where it is mixed with smoke and other secondary and tendency for tertiary elements. This is a full bodied wine with a beautiful balance and complexity.    Lamaione 2009 15%(!) 

This is a Power-Merlot. This 100% Merlot based wine shows an almost over powering amount of new oak on the nose. High extract due to high alcohol, deep red fruit, spice and some forest notes.    At the moment this can hardly be said to be a balanced or elegant wine. But you just wait. This wine is simply too young at the moment. With another 5 years in the bottle it will develop into a powerful, yet balanced wine. The fruit just needs some time to break through that wall of oak and alcohol.

All in all, great food, great wines and great hospitality shown by the Frescobaldi family.

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Barrel tasting the '12, '11 and '10 vintage at Salvioni, Brunello di Montalcino      Finding myself in front of an anonymous looking door in the city center of Montalcino was a refreshing contrast to the factory of Banfi. While anxiously ringing the door bell Alessia suddenly shows up in her muddy Jeep, straight from the vineyard.    Salvioni is the ultimate example of a family business. Alessia's grandfather had a small plot of land with which he started producing wines so that he could invite his friends over for a glass. His son Giulio decided that they could do better than that and in 1985 the Cerbaiola Brunello was born. With a modest expansion from 2 to 4 hectares, and with no plans on expanding further, Giulio and his wife are today running the winery together with their son David and their daughter Alessia.     La Cerbaiola is actually a 22 hectare piece of land covering a beautifully rounded hill overlooking the Val d'Orcia. At an altitude of of 420-450 meters their 4 hectares of vines receive optimal exposure to the sun as well as benefit from a cool breeze that sweeps over the rounded hill. With extensive pruning and green harvest the yields are kept at a minimum, resulting in a production of 10'000 bottles per year and up to 15'000 if they decide to make some Rosso di Montalcino in any given year.    Until recently, all work in the vineyard, winery and cellars has been done by hand. Last year however, the family finally invested in a labeling machine since the labeling of 15'000 bottles started to take its toll on the older generation...    Constantly being praised by wine critics around the world. Salvioni can today proudly place itself among the top three producers in Montalcino. Aware of this I was inpatient like a kid when Alessia opened the tap on the tonneau    2012    A terribly hot and dry growing season which means that only Brunellos will be made in this vintage.  The heat has resulted in a wine with extremely expressive red fruit. Currently slightly simple but with qualities like this the fruit will grow immensely complex. There is obviously a slight grapey feel to this wine but the overall balance, the texture and the full body, the wonderful fruit and the already lengthy finish makes this wine the most well made example I've tried so far on this trip. 2012 will be an powerful and expressive year!    2011    Similar to the 2009 vintage is the sense that it has created wines which are fresher and more delicate. According to the standards of Salvioni this is a good but not great vintage since it will "only" be able to age up to 15 years :-)    It is indeed fresh. After  some time in the tonneau this wine is without doubt already pleasant to drink. The great body of 2012 is not there but there is an elegance to this wine which shouldn't be underestimated. In years to come this might develop into an even more "old school" Brunello.    2010     Another great vintage for Brunello di Montalcino.    This is a great wine. Not much to be said really. Ripe red fruits and full bodied. Still the fresh acidity and the already elegant tannins turns this wine into perfection. It will be wonderful upon release but some time in the cellar will add heavenly layers of deep complexity. Outstanding             

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Poggio di Sotto 2008

Poggio di Sotto, Rosso di Montalcino 2008 (37 Euros) 13.5%    Nose: Bright ripe red fruit. Strawberries. reminicent of a Pinot Noir. A LOT of wonderful fruit.    Palate: A lot of the fruit has now left us. Fresh acidity and subtle tannins. Medium finish. A perfect example of a Rosso di Montalcino!    Poggio di Sotto, Brunello di Montalcino 2008 (99 Euros) 14%    Nose:Complex with caramel, coffee, sweet spice, ripe strawberries, plum, cherries and some gentle vanilla notes.    Palate: The freshness of 2008 is a bit too obvious here with an acidity which is a bit spiky. More fruit on the palate than the Rosso. Minerality? Apart from the acidity its an elegant and balanced wine with a lingering finish.    With such a price difference I would go for the Rosso any day, without doubt. That is, if I had pay.

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Fattoria Poggio di Sotto is beautifully situated slightly south east of Montalcino, overlooking its vineyards which are all in perfect south facing positions. The current owner started out in 1989 and is with its around 10 hectares of vineyards considered extremely small scale in comparison to the giant of Banfi.

The winery has adopted a natural and very traditional approach to making of Brunellos. The natural fermentation takes place in oak casks after an extended maceration of 30+ days and the wines are then blended before further ageing in large oak barrels.

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Banfi, Brunello di Montalcino, 2008, Poggio alle Mura. Continuing with the same year we now go on to the single vineyard Brunellos. This is something completely different. Oh yes.    On the nose there is ripe fruit: plums, black cherries and hints of caramel and coffee. This is almost a full body wine which fills your mouth in a quite elegant way. If it wasn't for the nice fruit the alcohol (14.5%) would come out a bit too strong. Overall a nice structure and balance. Long finish.     Going back one year we come to the excellent vintage of 2007.    Banfi, Brunello di Montalcino, 2007, Poggio alle Mura, Riserva      For this extraordinary vintage they decided to make this wine in the Riserve style, meaning slightly more ageing in both bottle and barrel.     On the nose there is a depth to this wine, a promise of something great in years to come. Now a bit more closed than the 2008. On the palate, despite the  black cherries and some cooked red fruit, you have the characteristic dryness of a Brunello, or rather elegant fruit. There is more body and power here. In fact, there is more of everything which in the end gives the impression of a wine which at the moment is not in balance. Its time to shine will come. No doubt.

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Ok, here we go. Finally the wine I came for. This Brunello di Montalcino, 2008, is somewhat of the "entry level" Brunello by Banfi.

First it should be said that Brunello di Montalcino as a wine is not about the fruit, rather about structure, elegance and finesse. With this said one cannot help to sometimes miss some of that delicious fruit that Sangiovese has the potential to show.

Warm nose, but rather flat Sangiovese aromas. Some herbal notes but no depth. Maybe shy? The palate shows a good structured wine, with some subtle red fruit, present tannins but with the lack of fruit the core is missing. Italian acidity.

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Before getting into the good stuff I would just like to share Banfi's expression of a DOC Bolgheri Rosso. This ASKA, 2010, is a blend of Cabarnet Sauvignon and Cabarnet Franc.

Despite the lack of Syrah, this wine reminds me a decent Rhône wine mixed with a decent Bordeaux. Both on the nose and the palate you have the spiciness mixed with some black currant. The Cabarnet Franc also plays its roll and reveals itself with some aromatic ripe green bell pepper. Overall the wine lacks a bit of balance and structure and strangely enough some fruit.

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Warming up with Banfi's latest creation, a IGT Vermentino from their vineyards in Maremma - La Pettegola, 2012

Aromatic nose with fresh floral characteristic. Pear, typical for a young white of this type is also coming through. On the mouth there is a slight creamy texture, despite no oak ageing. More ripe white fruit, apple and hints of elderflower. The fresh acidity is there and overall a nicely balanced wine. Well made basic Vermentino.

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First up: Castello Banfi

This family owned winery, soon celebrating its 30th anniversary, has played a major roll in the development and recent success of Brunello di Montalcino. John and Harry Mariani, two Italian-American brothers who were running a "modestly successful" wine importing company in the New York area decided to find their roots and invest in their own winery in Tuscany. At first, the local community had a hard time accepting the fact that million of American dollars were invested in the region and a new modern approach were taken on the highly traditional production of Brunello di Montalcino. However, if it wasn't for Banfi's massive launch into the North American market, Brunello wouldn't be what it is today.

When it comes to volume, Banfi is without doubt one of the top wine producing families in Italy today, Arriving at the winery one is greeted by a beautiful Tuscan castle, Castello Banfi, surrounded by several support facilities, effectively catering to the massive crowd of tourists who are grazing the massive souvenir shops.

The winery itself is the largest in the country. Hardly inspirational. The wines are however extremely well made...

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After experiencing some "Super Tuscans" its time to explore the roots of wine making in Tuscany.

The beautiful city of Montalcino acts as the capital for the wines of Brunello di Montalcino, rewarded the status of DOCG in 1980. Today Brunello is considered the "best" wine region of Italy, rivaled only by the wines of Barolo, Piedmonte. The region has seen an impressive growth in terms of new producers and total volume being produced since its promotion DOCG status: from less than 50 to over 250 producers!

5 wineries to go...

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Time for Tuscany! Wine trippin'

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After a visit to the vineyard, a bottle of the 25th anniversary vintage, 2010, is now safely tucked away in the cellar.

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One cannot help noticing who the sponsor is…

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Leonardo Raspini - vineyard manager

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Patiently waiting to become the next vintage.

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Looks like any other vineyard...but it is in fact no other than the beautiful hill of Masseto. An ideally situated plot of land, cooled my the sea breeze and rich in clay, resulting in the ultimate expression of Merlot

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@Ornellaia - Marchesi de'Frescobaldi is tending to his vines.