2016 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Fiore

The historic Fattoria dei Barbi estate lies just over two miles south of the town of Montalcino, with its vineyards surrounding the winery at elevations that span from 160 to 520 meters. The combination of varying elevations and soils, as their vineyards run south and south east, has helped the estate to create a wonderfully balanced expression of Brunello from vintage to vintage, even as their production has climbed to over 200,000 bottles a year. Stefano Cinelli Colombini oversees the estate and vineyards, along with his enologist, Paolo Salvi. While speaking with Stefano, he mentioned new experimental vineyards that will begin producing in the next few years, as well as a stronger move toward being “green” using natural fertilizers and increased biodiversity throughout the property. As for the current trend of cru bottles in the region, Fattoria dei Barbi is actually one of the first estates to begin producing a single-vineyard Brunello, back in 1981. The Vigna del Fiore, which hails from one of the southernmost and oldest vineyards in Montalcino, is vinified almost identically to the house Brunello, yet it shows an apparent stamp of terroir.