Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesAromas of berry, new leather, rose and licorice waft out of the glass on this firmly structured wine. On the assertive palate, drying, close-grained tannin's weave through dried cherry, star anise, toasted nut and roasted coffee bean. Made with organically farmed grapes, it also undergoes spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts. It’s still young and bracing so give it time to fully develop. Drink 2026–2036.
In 1581, the farmstead of San Polino was registered as one of the properties belonging to the Montalcino Hospital “Santa Maria della Croce” and it is here that we find the first explicit mention of the vineyard.
From the 18th century ownership of San Polino changed hands when the noble Piccolomini family from Siena took possession of the farmhouse and its lands.
In 1991 the farmstead was bought by its present owners, Luigi and Katia, who renovated it and planted the new vineyards in 1998. The six olive trees mentioned in the hospital registers in 1581 are still producing olives.
Famous for its bold, layered and long-lived red, Brunello di Montalcino, the town of Montalcino is about 70 miles south of Florence, and has a warmer and drier climate than that of its neighbor, Chianti. The Sangiovese grape is king here, as it is in Chianti, but Montalcino has its own clone called Brunello.
The Brunello vineyards of Montalcino blanket the rolling hills surrounding the village and fan out at various elevations, creating the potential for Brunello wines expressing different styles. From the valleys, where deeper deposits of clay are found, come wines typically bolder, more concentrated and rich in opulent black fruit. The hillside vineyards produce wines more concentrated in red fruits and floral aromas; these sites reach up to over 1,600 feet and have shallow soils of rocks and shale.
Brunello di Montalcino by law must be aged a minimum of four years, including two years in barrel before realease and once released, typically needs more time in bottle for its drinking potential to be fully reached. The good news is that Montalcino makes a “baby brother” version. The wines called Rosso di Montalcino are often made from younger vines, aged for about a year before release, offer extraordinary values and are ready to drink young.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.