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 South
of Siena in the isolated and steep countryside, sits the
walled town of Montalcino. Here is produced some of Italy's
best wines. The brunello wines are made exclusively from
the brunello grape, a sangiovese clone. They are aged a
minimum of four years and produce wines that are long lived,
richly fruited, and powerful. This is an area that no wine
lover visiting Italy will want to miss.
 The
history of Brunello di Montalcino began when phylloxera
arrived in the area in 1930 and completely devastated the
vineyards. The depression, World War II and the poverty
of the postwar period kept Montalcino isolated, impoverished,
and dependent on its agricultural base. The isolation of
Montalcino combined with the numbing poverty almost swept
away the reputation the wines had gained earlier. During
the 1950s, some ten to fifteen producers began bottling
their own wine, usually identififying it as Chianti Colli
Senesi, which at that time had a stronger market image than
Brunello di Montalcino.
The Duomo (San Salvatore) can be reached
by going to the right after leaving the museum. The Senese
architect Agostino Fantastici Planned a project (1812-32)
to restructure to pre-existing church into the neo-classical
norm which dominated the time. Proceed downhill to arrive
at the Piazza del Popolo where the Palazzo Comunale (or
dei Priori) stands. In the square is La Loggia which was
constructed in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In
The contrada of Castelvecchio, is the Church of San Francesco
(XIII century) wich as been redone over the course of time.
Inside are the frescoes by Vincenzo Tamagni painted in the
early sixteenth-century. Just a few kilometers from Montalcino
rises the Abbazia di Sant'Antimo (1118). This is one of
the most beautiful Romanseque monastic churches in existence.
Its Romanesque-Lombard style gives its structure both a
physical force and delicacy at the same time.
The street that leads to Montalcino
will allow for an appreciation of the true beauty of the
place. Having arrived at the summit the eyes can behold
the splendour of an ample and varied panorama from the Senese
hills to the mountains of Amiata. The fortress (constructed
to defend the territory in 1361 by the Senese Mino Foresi
and Domenico di Feo utilizing the already pre-existing thirteenth-century
wall) rises to the highest point of the city and dominates
the surrounding valleys. On the wall of one of the center
rooms hangs a Standard attributed to the Sodoma school.
The center of this small town is exemplary
of the architecture of the late Middle Ages. Following the
road across from the fortress you will find on via Ricasoli
a gothic marble portal and a rose window that beautify the
simple basic Romanesque facade of the Church of Sant'Agostino
(thirteenth-century). Nearby, although it will soon be moved
to the convent of the church of Sant' Agostino, you will
find the Musei Riuniti (civico and Diocesano). The museums
contain pieces of outstanding art work such as a Wooden
Cross painted in the twelfth of thirteenth-centuries by
an unknown artist. It is one of the oldest Senese works.
There are also an Angelo annunciate and a Madonna annunciata,
two beautiful wooden sculptures from the early fifteenth-
century, as well as a Saint Sebastian and a Madonna with
Saints done in Robbian terracotta.
The Duomo (San Salvatore) can be reached by going to the
right after leaving the museum. The Senese architect Agostino
Fantastici Planned a project (1812-32) to restructure to
pre-existing church into the neo-classical norm which dominated
the time. Proceed downhill to arrive at the Piazza del Popolo
where the Palazzo Comunale (or dei Priori) stands.
In the square is La Loggia which was constructed in the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In The contrada of Castelvecchio,
is the Church of San Francesco (XIII century) wich as been
redone over the course of time. Inside are the frescoes
by Vincenzo Tamagni painted in the early sixteenth-century.
Just a few kilometers from Montalcino rises the Abbazia
di Sant'Antimo (1118). This is one of the most beautiful
Romanseque monastic churches in existence. Its Romanesque-Lombard
style gives its structure both a physical force and delicacy
at the same time.
Main Characteristics of this wine:
The zone of Montalcino has shown to be a region with a
great vocation for viticulture. The territory, which consists
of roughly 24 thousand hectares, resembles a square formed
by the Ombrone, Orcia and Asso rivers. The vineyards are
protected by the Ombrone valley to the west, the Orcia valley
to the south and east, and the mountains of Amiata to the
southern flank. These natural barriers protect the vineyards
from intemperate weather, such as hail and severe storms,
and help make the zone the most arid of all Tuscany’s
wine regions. The zone only has about 500 millimeters (20
inches) of rainfall a year. To control the hot Mediterranean
nature of the region, Montalcino experiences cool breezes
off the sea, not experienced in Chianti or Montepulciano.
Dangerous late-spring frosts are rare in this area. Because
of this viticulturally friendly climate, it is difficult
to have excessively bad vintages. Since the 1945 Brunello
vintage, Montalcino has had 14 exceptional years, 19 very
good years, 14 good years, 7 mediocre years. Only 3 years
were considered poor years.
The Colour: deep ruby red, verging
on pomegranate.
The Smell: is ethereal, wide, abundant, with undergrowth
red jam and licorice scents.
The Taste: dry, warm,soft, little fresh, quite tannic flavoursome
and strong.
Alcohol: 12,5° minimum maturation
Compulsory maturation time: four years, three of which in
chestnut or oak-casks, starting from first of Jenuary of
the year following the vintage.
Temperature to serve: 18-22°C.
Couplings: stewed hare, seasoned sheep's cheese from Pienza.
Reserve: minimum maturation time: 5 years starting from
the first of Jenuary of the year following the vintage.
As Brunello di Montalcino slowly gained
recognition for its quality, production grew along with
it. Before World War II there were less than ten producers
in the region. More producers came to the area and by 1968
plantings increased to a little more than 80 hectares. By
1975, there were 60 estates (only about 15 also were bottlers).
In the same year, the area cultivated with vines grew to
360 hectare. Production continued to grow with a vengeance
during the rest of the decade. By 1980, there were 93 estates
and 650 hectares were under vines. In 1980, Brunello di
Montalcino received the very first DOCG quality classification.
This opened the floodgates for even more growth. According
to the Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino, there are 193
producers (136 of these are also bottlers) and over 1,300
hectares under vines. Roughly four million bottles of Brunello
are now produced each year.
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