2016 Brunello di Montalcino

Biondi-Santi continues on its path of refinement while paying close attention to respecting the traditions of Montalcino’s most famous family. With the release of the 2017 Rosso di Montalcino Tenuta Greppo, we are now seeing the first wine that the new owners have had full control over from start to finish. The changes are subtle, including the use of a sorting table (which was done by hand in the vineyard previously) and the addition of fruit from beyond the lower-elevation vineyards. The goal is to improve the quality of the Rosso, a wine that already demands a high tariff for its category, in order to bring a new generation of wine drinkers to the brand. Giampiero Bertolini, CEO of Biondi-Santi, explained that they see the wine less as a Rosso and more as a second wine to the Brunello Annata. Having the ability to taste the 2017 and 2016 vintages close to one another was insightful, but it spoke less of any stylistic changes and more of the completely different nature of these two vintages. In both cases, the Rosso underwent twelve months of refinement in large Slavonian oak and one year in bottle prior to release. As for the 2015 Brunello, it’s a bit of a departure from the expectations of Biondi-Santi requiring over a decade of cellaring to enter its drinking window. That said, it’s a stunning and lively example of this ripe vintage. The only changes made here was to use more of a parcel-by-parcel and barrel-by-barrel approach to creating the wine. In the past, the Brunello was rotated through the different barrels in the cellar at least twice a year throughout its three years of maturation; while today, the barrels are blended only prior to bottling. What’s more, there will be a 2015 Riserva released in 2022.

In late 2017, Giampiero Bertolino became Biondi-Santi’s new CEO after he spent sixteen long and happy years with the Frescobaldi estate. His mandate is to renovate this illustrious history-making Italian brand (Biondi-Santi essentially created Brunello as we know it) and increase awareness of it world-wide, so as to have it regain its status as one of the world’s most collectible wines. Bertolino is mindful of slowly implementing change at this iconic estate; in his words, to engage in “evolution, not revolution”, the goal being to improve on what the estate already has and on what it can deliver. For example, the estate has started scanning all their vineyard plots and studying them for mineral composition and microclimate characteristics, in an effort to ensure that the best Sangiovese clones and massal selections are matched to each specific parcel of land. He is also overseeing an increase in cellar space so that parcel by parcel vinification of all of the estate’s Sangiovese holdings may now be done.

Beginning in 2017, Biondi-Santi has entered a partnership with EPI, a French group (owners of Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck, among others) in order to have better market penetration and greater financial support. Jacopo Biondi-Santi is quick to point out however that nothing much has changed (save for the decision not to bottle the estate’s excellent Rosato this year and the next, which is a shame). He has started putting his Brunello through malo right after the alcoholic fermentation is completed and directly in stainless steel, which in his view leads to slightly more accessible wines when young (prior to this change, the estate’s wines went through malo very slowly, often the following spring). He has also invested in a new press that allows for gentler pressing of the grapes and softer extraction, such that Sangiovese’s potentially bitter tannin pips aren’t forcefully leached out. Undoubtedly, the Biondi-Santi wines of recent vintages seem to boast a little more early appeal than in the past.

Biondi Santi remains a beacon for all that is traditional in Montalcino, although in recent years, the family has allowed some of the wines to become more accessible at a younger age, most notably the Rosso, and also, in certain years, the Brunello Annata. Among other things, Jacopo Biondi Santi prefers a lighter pressing than his father, which results in wines with sweeter tannin and softer overall structure from the outset. It will be interesting to see how things develop. As revered as the Biondi Santi Brunellos are, the reality is that their showing with age has proven to be uneven, especially in a contemporary context in which wines are judged next to global, rather than local, peers. Tancredi Biondi Santi, Jacopo's son, is spending more time at the family estate and looks poised to carry on the legacy of Montalcino's first family. In addition to these wines, I also tasted all of the Brunellos (Annata and Riserva) in cask. Those wines suggest Biondi Santi fans can look forward to a number of striking wines in the near and medium term future.

Are the 2010 Brunellos really all they are cracked up to be? After months of seeing and hearing all the hype Vinous readers wanted to see (and taste) for themselves. This recent dinner at Lincoln Ristorante gave attendees an early look at a dozen of the vintage’s best known and most highly regarded wines.

I have to say, it is still strange to visit Il Greppo and not see Franco Biondi Santi. I expect to see him come around the corner any minute, his beaming face lighting up the room, but alas, that is not to be, as the great patriarch of Montalcino passed away in 2013. Today, Biondi Santi is managed by Jacopo Biondi Santi, Franco's son. These wines, though, were made by Franco Biondi Santi, and its a thrill to see them in bottle after having followed them in cask for years. In particular, the 2010 Brunello is fabulous. I can hardly wait to taste the Riserva next year. It will be interesting to see how the estate develops under Jacopo Biondi Santi's leadership. Il Greppo was the first estate to announce that they would produce no Brunello at all in the challenging 2014 vintage, which surely comes at a significant cost. On the other hand, I find the now obvious linkage between Il Greppo and Castello di Montepò, the family's Scansano estate, dubious. That association does not elevate Montepò, where the wines have always varied at best, but rather it lessens Il Greppo. Meaningfully. And Il Greppo is THE symbol of Montalcino. I still remember driving by the estate for the first time, which, sad to say was a good 20+ years ago, and imagining what lay behind that impressive row of cypresses. It would be such a shame to see that history and legacy tarnished in any way.

This was my first visit to Biondi Santi following the passing of Franco Biondi Santi last year. Over the years, I enjoyed many tastings here, often going from cask to cask to look at every wine in the cellar. Biondi Santi's son Jacopo, is now running the estate. In 2013, his first vintage, Jacopo Biondi Santi has already made some small but potentially significant changes to winemaking, including encouraging malos that take place right after the alcoholic fermentations, while Franco Biondi Santi preferred to let the wines undergo malo in the spring following the harvest. It is pretty clear Jacopo prefers an overall more controlled environment, so it is going to be interesting to see how things develop over the coming years and decades. A tasting of the 2012s and 2013s from cask revealed two very different approaches - and I stress different - rather than making a qualitative judgment on the merit of one or the other. Only time can do that.

Sadly, Franco Biondi Santi passed away just a few short weeks after my most recent visit to Il Greppo. I tasted with Franco Biondi Santi several times over the years. Always impeccably dressed and aristocratic in demeanor, Biondi Santi was unfailingly polite but also passionate in his advocacy of tradition. Biondi Santi would always accompany me throughout the cellar, tasting through all the vintages in barrel, even though advancing age clearly took a toll on his energy level towards the end of his life. Despite his age, Biondi Santi ran Il Greppo with an iron fist. The winery was always clean and well maintained. Nothing happened at the estate without his explicit approval. I saw that once again first hand when I visited earlier this year. As was the custom when he was ill during one of my tastings, we always spoke by phone before I left the property. Mentally, Biondi Santi was as engaged as always.

Today, the young Biondi Santi Brunellos appear less massively tannic and impenetrable than they have in the past. My February tasting ended with the 2012s from cask. For those who haven't heard, 2012 is a potentially outstanding vintage in Montalcino. If the wine I tasted in cask is as phenomenal in bottle, it will be a fitting conclusion to a brilliant career.

Biond-Santi remains a beacon for traditionally made Rosso and Brunello. At 90 years of age, Franco Biondi-Santi insisted on leading my tasting of wines from cask and bottle. The years go by for all of us, but I haven't seen any decrease in Biondi-Santi's enthusiasm and passion. The Biondi-Santi wines are more approachable young than they used to be, but little else appears to have changed. Biondi-Santi harvests on the early side. The wines see long macerations on the skins – in steel for the straight Brunello (also known as the Annata) and oak for the Riserva – and are then aged in large oak casks.

A visit to Il Greppo is always fascinating, as the estate is literally packed with history at every corner. The old casks, some of which date to the late 1800s, the collection of rare bottles and the impeccably clean, traditionally outfitted cellar are all worth a look. I was impressed with the wines I tasted from Biondi-Santi this year. The 2007 Rosso and 2006 Brunello are both far more accessible than the super-austere wines that were common here not too many years ago.

I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted from Biondi-Santi this year. Of course, Biondi-Santi is the estate that put Brunello di Montalcino on the map, so it is nice to see this historic property doing so well. These remain some of the most rigorous, age-worthy Brunellos readers will come across. Traditional vinification and aging in large, neutral casks are the rule. Ideally the wines are best left in the cellar for at least a decade after release, but readers will have a very hard time exercising such restraint here. These are magnificent Brunellos.

I was fortunate to taste the 2004s many times with Franco Biondi Santi from cask and then, later, from bottle. When Biondi Santi like a wine his face would light up with a child-like enthusiasm. Today, years later, the 2004s are just as special as they were back then. The straight Brunello was particularly impressive this time around.

Biondi-Santi represents one of the most staunchly traditional approaches in Montalcino, and with good reason, as it is here that the original Brunello clone of Sangiovese was discovered. The estate favors long maceration times and extended aging in large, neutral casks.

Biondi Santi, along with Soldera, remains the bastion of traditional winemaking in Montalcino.

The gorgeous, manicured Il Greppo estate gives visitors a window into the Tuscan aristocracy of a time seemingly long gone by. Biondi-Santi's Brunello was winning awards and being served at important diplomatic events well before most of the estates we know today existed. It is also here that Brunello di Montalcino was first produced. In the late 1800s Ferruccio Biondi-Santi isolated a clonal mutation of Sangiovese unique to Montalcino, today known as Sangiovese Grosso. He re-planted his vineyards with this clone and began to producing his wine without adding other varietals, giving birth to Brunello. A sprightly 84 years of age, the genteel and impeccably dressed Franco Biondi-Santi, Ferruccio's grandson, still insists on personally showing visitors around the grounds, the highlight of which is the extensive collection of older vintages which is kept under lock and key at all times. At 450-500 meters above sea level, the vineyards are among the highest in the zone. The soils are poor, consisting mostly of the rock, limestone and sand combination known as galestro. The estate produces two Brunellos, a base bottling from its younger vines called simply “Annata” and a Riserva which is made from older vines. Along with the wines of Gianfranco Soldera these are perhaps the most traditionally made wines in the region. The Annata is fermented in glass-lined cement tanks, while the Riserva is fermented in an open-top wood vat. Both wines see an extended period of cask aging. The high altitude vineyards and traditional approach to winemaking yield wines that are often decidedly austere in style and that are capable of aging for decades.

The gorgeous, manicured Il Greppo estate gives visitors a window into the Tuscan aristocracy of a time seemingly long gone by. Biondi-Santi's Brunello was winning awards and being served at important diplomatic events well before most of the estates we know today existed. It is also here that Brunello di Montalcino was first produced. In the late 1800s Ferruccio Biondi-Santi isolated a clonal mutation of Sangiovese unique to Montalcino, today known as Sangiovese Grosso. He re-planted his vineyards with this clone and began to producing his wine without adding other varietals, giving birth to Brunello. A sprightly 84 years of age, the genteel and impeccably dressed Franco Biondi-Santi, Ferruccio's grandson, still insists on personally showing visitors around the grounds, the highlight of which is the extensive collection of older vintages which is kept under lock and key at all times. At 450-500 meters above sea level, the vineyards are among the highest in the zone. The soils are poor, consisting mostly of the rock, limestone and sand combination known as galestro. The estate produces two Brunellos, a base bottling from its younger vines called simply “Annata” and a Riserva which is made from older vines. Along with the wines of Gianfranco Soldera these are perhaps the most traditionally made wines in the region. The Annata is fermented in glass-lined cement tanks, while the Riserva is fermented in an open-top wood vat. Both wines see an extended period of cask aging. The high altitude vineyards and traditional approach to winemaking yield wines that are often decidedly austere in style and that are capable of aging for decades.