BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO

Brunello di Montalcino is a red wine of Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin (DOCG) produced in the south-eastern area of ​​Tuscany, and only from grapes from the administrative territory of the Municipality of Montalcino in the Province

Brunello di Montalcino is a red wine of Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin (DOCG) produced in the south-eastern area of ​​Tuscany, and only from grapes from the administrative territory of the Municipality of Montalcino in the Province of Siena.

The production area has a total area of ​​243.62 km², bordered by the Ombrone, Asso and Orcia rivers.

The Montalcino hill has numerous pedological environments, because it formed in different geological eras attributable to sandstone, also mixed with limestone, alberese, galestro as well as sandy soils sometimes clayey.

The climate is Mediterranean, basically dry, with some continental connotations due to the intermediate position between the sea and the Central Apennines. Rainfall is concentrated in the spring and autumn months.

The mid-hill area is not affected by late fog, frost or frost. Frequent presence of wind guarantees the best conditions for the health of the plants. During the vegetative phase the temperatures are mild and the days are mostly clear, a condition that guarantees an optimal ripening of the grapes.

The combination of natural and human factors defines the characteristics of Brunello wine. The viticultural technique used today is the result of numerous observations and experiments over the years. Cultivation and pruning take into account the pedoclimatic characteristics, including the relative water scarcity that involves a periodic cycle of work that has the purpose of keeping the land irrigated. The perfect state of ripeness and the phytosanitary integrity of the grapes are the result of a mixture of pedoclimatic elements and responses to these, of the same vine during the vegetative phase.

The vocation of the Montalcino area to produce high quality wines has been known for many centuries, even during the famous siege of Montalcino in 1553, wine was never lacking and Blaise de Montluc, in defense of the walls, used to redden his face to conceal suffering. with robust wine.

Until the second half of the nineteenth century the best known and appreciated wine of the area was a sweet white wine, Moscatello, awarded at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1867. In that period, his nephew Clemente Santi, Ferruccio Biondi Santi, following in the footsteps of grandfather and also due to the arrival of phylloxera and powdery mildew, which were destroying the vineyards, he began to study the potential of a clone of the Sangiovese grape, locally called Brunello due to the particularly dark color of the berries

The result of his experimentation and research have produced the variety used to date to produce Brunello di Montalcino, called Sangiovese Grosso.

Despite numerous awards and recognitions over the years, Brunello remained for many years a wine known and appreciated only in the surroundings of the production area, also due to the high selling price.

The vicissitudes of the early twentieth century led to a decline, so much so that very few producers kept Montalcino production alive between the two wars.

After the Second World War people began to think about wine production again and some had the foresight to agree on the production rules for Brunello di Montalcino.

After 1950 the fame of Brunello di Montalcino spread first in Italy and then abroad.

Brunello di Montalcino is a visually clear wine with a ruby ​​color tending to garnet with aging. It has a distinctive and intense aroma. The taste is dry, warm, a little tannic, robust, harmonious and persistent. Due to its characteristics, Brunello di Montalcino withstands long aging, improving over time.

The elegance and harmonious body of the wine allow combinations with very structured and composed dishes such as furred and feathered game, red meats, possibly accompanied by mushrooms and truffles. Moreover, due to its characteristics it is also enjoyable as a meditation wine.

Brunello must be served in wide-shaped glasses, in order to be able to grasp its composite and harmonious aroma. It must be served at a temperature of about 18 ° C-20 ° C.

It must be subjected to an aging period of at least two years in oak containers of any size, and at least four months in the bottle, and cannot be released for consumption before 1 January of the following year at the end of five calculated years. considering the vintage of the harvest.

The operations of vinification, conservation, aging in wood, aging in the bottle and bottling must be carried out exclusively in the production area.

Brunello di Montalcino must be released for consumption in Bordeaux-type bottles of dark glass and closed with one-piece cork stopper; the use of agglomerated corks or any other type of closure is prohibited.

The minimum total alcoholic strength by volume is 12.50%.

For the purposes of using the "Brunello di Montalcino" controlled and guaranteed designation of origin, the wine must be subjected to the chemical-physical and organoleptic analyzes required by current legislation, performed by a Tasting Commission. Only once the suitability has been ascertained, the marks produced by the State printing house with progressive numbering for traceability will be received, which must be applied to each bottle before marketing.