2001 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento

Col d'Orcia is one of Montalcino's most historic wineries. The estate's modern-day lineage goes back to at least 1890, when records show the Franceschi family of Florence purchased the property, then known as Fattoria di Sant'Angelo in Colle. As early as 1933 Fattoria di Sant'Angelo in Colle presented its Brunelli at the Wine Exhibition of Siena, one of the first trade shows in Italy, decades before Brunello would become a prized, world-class wine. Brothers Leopoldo and Stefano Franceschi inherited the property and subsequently divided their holdings in 1958. The terms of the separation prohibited the brothers from using the existing Fattoria di Sant'Angelo in Colle name. Leopoldo Franceschi christened his estate Il Poggione after the site where his cellar is currently located. Today Franceschi's grand children, Leopoldo and Livia, own Il Poggione. Stefano Franceschi named his farm Col d'Orcia (hill above Orcia) after the river that runs through the property. Stefano Franceschi later married into the royal family of the future King of Spain Juan Carlos. He and his wife had no children, and in 1973 Stefano Franceschi sold his property to the Cinzano family of Piedmont. The Cinzano family was active in the spirits business, and used their extensive sales network to distribute the early vintages of Col d'Orcia. At the time of its purchase by the Cinzanos, Col d'Orcia was planted with a variety of crops, as was common, including wheat, tobacco, olives and grapes. One of the main buildings is in fact the mill of the old Fattoria di Sant'Angelo in Colle. In 1973 there were just a few hectares dedicated to grapes, but planting expanded during this time under the leadership of Count Alberto Marone Cinzano and reached 70 hectares by the early 1980s. In 1992 Marone Cinzano's son Francesco took over and continued to increase plantings to the current level of 140 hectares, of which 108 are Brunello-designated vineyards, making Col d'Orcia the third largest owner of Brunello vineyards in Montalcino. Over the last few years, Francesco Marone Cinzano has overseen a gradual and quiet conversion to biodynamic farming, one example of many quality-driven decisions that separates Col d'Orcia from Montalcino's other large producers. Today Col d'Orcia makes two Brunelli, a straight bottling and the single-vineyard Riserva Poggio al Vento, which emerges from a seven-hectare site with a southwestern exposure that was planted beginning in the mid-1970s through 1990. The soils, which date to the Eocene period, are mostly rich in limestone and skeletal materials, a composition known in Tuscany as ‘albarese.' The first Poggio al Vento was produced in 1982, prior to that a straight Riserva was made from a combination of the estate's vineyards. This article covers every vintage of Poggio al Vento, plus a number of other Col d'Orcia wines I tasted recently. The Col d'Orcia Brunelli are distinguished for their ability to age exceptionally well. Vinification is traditional. The wines are fermented in stainless steel and cement and are aged in Slavonian and French oak casks. The Riserva sees four years in barrel today, although some of the older vintages spent more than 4 years in cask. One of the most fascinating aspects of this tasting was following the evolution of Poggio al Vento through the years. Up until 1993, the harvest always took place in early October. Since then, the harvest has moved up by as much as 3-4 weeks with the exception of 1995, which was also an October harvest. Another evolution was the introduction of French oak as a complement to Slavonian oak and the move to 25 and 50-hectoliter casks from larger 50 to 75-hectoliter casks, both of which were implemented with the 1997 vintage. From 1982 to 2006 there is also noticeable increase in dry extract levels and alcohol, which Marone Cinzano and long-time Estate Manager Edoardo Virano attribute to the change in climate and generally lower yields as the vines have aged. Because of his large production, Marone Cinzano strives for consistency with the straight Brunello, and therefore makes no secret of his use of other vintages to strengthen the final blend of that wine, which is allowed up to 15% under the regulations that govern the production of Brunello di Montalcino.

Proprietor Francesco Marone Cinzano makes powerful wines imbued with notable pedigree from his extensive holdings in the southern reaches of Montalcino.