The Singular Wines Of Montalcino

In this edition, we explore Montalcino, home of Tuscany's most powerful red wine, Brunello di Montalcino, and the region's top three producers.

- Nimmi Malhotra

It's easy to fall in love with Montalcino. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is a fortressed Tuscan village two hours from Florence. Stone-cast medieval walls dating to the 13th century surround the hilltop town, dripping in bucolic charm. The meandering cobblestone streets, bell towers, and sun-soaked piazzas soak and glisten in the Tuscan sunlight. The village is lined with artisanal shops, rustic Italian restaurants, and enotecas or wine shops stacked with the two wines that define the region - Brunello di Montalcino and the younger version, Rosso di Montalcino.

You will find a slew of vantage points to take in the views of the tiled ochre roofs, undulating lands, and verdant lines of vines. Brunello and Rosso's vineyards surround the town in every direction.

THE WINES

Brunello di Montalcino is Italy's celebrated longlived red wine, an exalted expression of the sangiovese grape. This version differs from the one found in, say, Chianti or Montepulciano.

Sangiovese's genetic mutation or clone found in Montalcino - sangiovese grossoo has a smaller berry, a brownish hue (brunello means "the brown one"), and is akin to pinot noir in that it vividly expresses site differences. The wines are decidedly more concentrated, fuller-bodied, and capable of long ageing.

By law, Brunello wine must be a pure expression of sangiovese grosso - a distinction afforded to only Montalcino in Tuscany, where most wines are blends - and released to market after four years of ageing. In the case of riserva, it is five years of which two must be in oak.

The decommissioned grapes, or younger plantings, make Rosso di Montalcino a more approachable red, which ages for a year and is primed for everyday drinking. It ensures the 250 producers in the region have good cash flow while the elder sibling, Brunello, takes half a decade to hit the shelves.