The Pros and Cons of Rosso di Montalcino and Beyond

BY ERIC GUIDO | JANUARY 27, 2022

There are both pros and cons to the strict rules that Montalcino enforces regarding Brunello. The four years of aging required in winery cellars places a huge burden on producers, especially new and aspiring winemakers that must invest time and money for such an extended period before seeing a return on their investment. Luckily, for both producers and consumers, the Rosso di Montalcino category was created. Under these regulations, a producer can use fruit from their Brunello vineyards, vineyards designated for Rosso or make a barrel selection within the cellar and release a wine after only ten months of aging. These wines must be 100% Sangiovese and can be refined in concrete, stainless steel or wood. Frankly, the sky’s the limit. In a perfect world, that sounds great, but this is not a perfect world.

While some producers are truly setting out to create an excellent Rosso, whether meant for early consumption or one that will stand the test of time, there are just as many who are simply trying to cash in on this lesser category. They rely on its very lenient rules to create an inferior wine, yet one that can still carry the name “Montalcino”. To further complicate matters, there is no way to tell what the style of the wine might be from the label. Is it a fun and fresh Rosso from early-harvested fruit with great acidity and perfect for a pop and pour? Or is it the producer’s “Baby Brunello,” a special selection that sees less time in wood than the estate’s top wines, but still enough to impart it with the ability and possibly the necessity to mature in your cellar before drinking? When you then factor prices, which typically push $25-$30 and up, it’s easy to see why so many consumers pass over a Rosso di Montalcino and look to the often more affordable and easily recognized bottle of Chianti Classico that’s sitting beside it on the shelf.

However, Rosso is still an important category in Montalcino. Any lover of the region's wines would be doing themself a disservice by not exploring what the best Rossos have to offer. The best producers, the ones who care, the ones who see their Rosso as a gateway wine to introduce consumers to their brand, have placed a whole new emphasis on the quality of their more affordable wines, whether that be the Rosso, an entry-level IGT or Sant’Antimo (one of the most open-ended DOCs imaginable for both red and white wines from Tuscany). What’s more, the Rosso category presents us with the opportunity to better understand the Brunello vintages that are on the horizon.

Sangiovese vines on the slopes of Montosoli.

My last point is paramount when considering the most recent Brunello vintage we’ve spoken about: 2017. This is a vintage that presented some of the most souped-up and intense Rossos in memory. They were grippy yet dark and packed full of primary fruit. The best of them are still slowly maturing and with years of further potential in a cold cellar. The success of these Rossos makes a lot of sense when compared to the Brunellos of the vintage. In many cases, the fruit for these wines was chosen for its high acidity or harvested early. Grapes didn’t go through extended macerations or long barrel-aging, and it didn’t hurt that some producers declassified extra fruit from their Brunello production to make better Rosso. In the end, the Rosso formula lent itself very well to the torrid heat and dry conditions of the 2017 vintage. Would it surprise you to hear that some producers’ Rossos scored higher than their estate Brunellos in 2017? Well, they did.