Vineyards Magazine

Biondi-Santi’s Rosso di Montalcino is a proud, independent-minded wine. It is an impressive combination of Sangiovese’s classic depth and texture with crisp fruit and easy drinkability, as well as the deep knowledge, prestigious growing area, and complex emotions of Tenuta Greppo, renowned for its introduction of the very first Brunello, in 1888, and today a hallowed spot for all serious wine-lovers. 

In the words of Technical Director Federico Radi, “Our Rosso di Montalcino is first of all the embodiment of fine balance, with its components of structure, acidity, and … time, all in ideal equilibrium. Even though it is a “youthful” wine, its undeniable elegance is the fruit of patience and of listening to nature, and thus it perfectly mirrors the Biondi-Santi style.  Our Sangiovese, grown in estate vineyards at elevations ranging between 200 and 550 metres, is transformed here into intriguing crispness and well-balanced tannins. This is a Rosso that is a textbook representative of its vintage.”

A mild winter and cool spring ushered in the 2020 growing season at Il Greppo. Summer rains, particularly in June, built up groundwater reserves invaluable during the hot, dry conditions of July and August, enabling the vines to maintain balanced growth and making possible an excellent suite of aromatic precursors in the grapes.  Harvest for Rosso started on September 9, right after some beneficial late-August rains. It matured 12 months in large Slavonian oak casks. 

Rosso di Montalcino DOC is the “entry key” to the world of Biondi-Santi, yet it is accessible to the wide public of wine consumers and is thus able to seduce even the youngest wine-lovers, delighting their palates with the maturity and fascination so quintessential to Brunello. 

Rosso is made exclusively from estate grown grapes and in a number of bottles that is proving unequal to a constantly-growing demand over the last three years, according to CEO Giampiero Bertolini.  A firm believer in the importance of the denomination, he describes Rosso and Brunello as “playing on the same team, both superb examples of an exceptional growing area, and that is why Bondi-Santi has such faith in Rosso di Montalcino.”

Rosso di Montalcino 2020 Biondi-Santi has been available in the markets for only a few weeks, released at three years following the harvest, about one year more than most of the denomination’s wines. Its bouquet offers a rich cornucopia of wild red berry fruit, sweet violets, and red roses, backgrounded by hints of citrus and appealing nuances of pungent balsam and wild Mediterranean herbs. The finest wine shops will be pleased to provide a couple of bottles, one to enjoy immediately, and the other to forget a few years in your wine cellar.