2019 Brunello di Montalcino, Molino di Sant'Antimo, Tuscany, Italy

A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.

Along with Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino is Tuscany's most famous DOCG and its boldest expression of the Sangiovese grape. Located 30 miles south of Siena, its 2,000 hectares of vines are hemmed in by the Orcia, Asso and Ombrone valleys. Brunello is the local name for the Sangiovese Grosso clone from which Brunello di Montalcino should be made in its entirety. The wine cannot be released for sale until five years after the harvest.

The estate was established in the early 1980s by Carlo Vittori. At the time he was in the middle of a successful career as a wine consultant in the Montalcino area, but also held a burning desire to make his own wine. Over the years, near the village of Castelnuovo dell’Abate and close to the famous Romanesque Abbey of Sant’Antimo, he slowly acquired virgin land and derelict buildings, all of which he planted and renovated. The estate now covers 11 hectares of vineyards in 12 separate plots, all in the most southern sector of the region and at heights between 200 - 300 metres. There is a variety of soils: predominantly stones on the lower sites, and clay on the upper slopes. The property is in a stunning location, perched on sedimentary cliffs and practically in the shadow of Monte Amiata.