2016 | Biondi Santi | Tenuta Greppo Brunello di Montalcino

Aromas of rose petal, dark spice, woodland berries and camphor form the nose on this fragrant, elegant wine. Loaded with finesse, the linear, savory palate features red cherry, orange zest, star anise and black tea alongside tightly wound, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity keeps it impeccably balanced.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: From a benchmark vintage, the Biondi-Santi 2016 Brunello di Montalcino reveals a gorgeous appearance with medium concentration highlighted by shiny hues of garnet and dark ruby. The first thing you notice is the compact dark fruit and rather robust textural fiber and power presented here. You almost bite into this wine, and you taste some fine grain linked to the young tannins. That, with the fresh acidity that is the hallmark signature of this estate, guarantees long cellar aging, and I would put my money on this vintage for long-long-term longevity. The fruit is compact and supple with dried cherry, blue flower, iron ore and candied orange peel. There is tobacco, balsam herb and gardening soil in a supporting role, and the wine is beautifully fleshed out but also rich in this balanced growing season. It surely needs more time to come together with pinpoint precision, but the wine's elegance is a certainty.

• Wine Spectator: This features a well of blackberry and black cherry flavors, along with iron, licorice and fresh herb aromas and flavors. The dense tannins are easily matched by the concentrated flavors, and this shows fine potential, despite the compact finish now.

Producer Information

Biondi Santi is a Tuscan producer synonymous with the wines of Brunello di Montalcino; indeed, it has claims to being the inventor of the appellation. The Biondi Santi vineyard has 32 hectares (79 acres) of Sangiovese, of which five hectares (12 acres) were planted between 1930-1972. The vineyards are divided on five vineyard plots, located around the town of Montalcino. The main estate, Tenuta Greppo, where the cellar and the main vineyards are located, lies at an altitude of 564 meters (1,850 feet) above sea level The oldest vines form the basis of the Riserva wines, while the standard wine is made from vines in the 10-25 year bracket. Fruit from vines less than 10 years old supplies the dry, brightly aromatic Rosso di Montalcino. In poorer years, when no Brunello is released, Biondi Santi used to make a second Rosso di Montalcino, called Fascia Rossa, with fruit from the older vines. This is now discontinued. The grapes are picked relatively early for the region, and then undergo a long maceration. Most of the grapes are fermented in resin-lined cement using native yeasts. Those destined for the Riserva are vinified in wooden vats. The Brunello wines are then aged for 36 months in large, neutral Slavonian oak casks, while the Rosso wines see 12 months. Biondi Santi does not use new oak, as it is thought to add aggressive tannins to the naturally tannin-rich Sangiovese. The wines tend to be fragrant and floral with savory hints, with bright berry and cherry fruit and peppery spice flavors over a backbone of fine tannins and acidity. Riservas are only released in the best years, can last for many decades, and often need 15 or more years to be tasted at their best. The history of the estate and the entire region are closely related. Indeed, the first recorded mention of a Brunello was at Montepulciano's agricultural fair in 1869, referencing Clemente Santi's "vino rosso scelto (brunello) del 1865" (although the family's Greppo vineyards were well established by then). The first wine to be officially labelled as "Brunello di Montalcino" was made in 1888 by Ferruccio Biondi Santi, Clemente's nephew. In 1932, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture referred to Brunello as "a recent creation of Dr Ferrucio Biondi Santi from Montalcino".

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