Tuscan Wines
Brunello di Montalcino: everything you need to know
Brunello di Montalcino is the most important wine of Tuscany. History, production, ageing and how to pair it without wasting a precious bottle.
Montalcino and Brunello: a 150-year history
Montalcino is a medieval hilltop village in southern Tuscany, between the Val d’Orcia and the Sienese Maremma. It is a town of around five thousand inhabitants, known for its fifteenth-century castle, its medieval walls and, above all, for the wine that bears its name.
Brunello di Montalcino is relatively recent in the history of Italian wine - it was born in the second half of the nineteenth century, when Clemente Santi, a pharmacist and viticulture enthusiast, isolated and selected a local Sangiovese clone that he called “Sangiovese Grosso” to distinguish it from the varieties more widespread in the area. His experiments, carried forward by his nephew Ferruccio Biondi Santi, produced the first aged Brunello wines - kept in the cellar for decades, capable of a longevity that no other Italian wine had ever demonstrated.
The first historic vintage of Brunello by Biondi Santi is 1888. Bottles from that harvest still exist in some private cellars - nearly 140 years later, the wine is still alive. This longevity has made Brunello the absolute reference point for aged Italian wine.
The Sangiovese Grosso: the grape that changes everything
Brunello di Montalcino is made exclusively from Sangiovese Grosso - the local denomination for the Sangiovese clone selected by Santi in the nineteenth century. No international varieties are permitted, no Vernaccia, not even another variety of Sangiovese different from that certified for Montalcino.
This strict production discipline is a powerful identity choice: Brunello is what it is thanks to a specific grape variety, in a specific territory, with a specific microclimate. The altitude of Montalcino (between 250 and 600 metres), the exposure of the hills toward the Tyrrhenian Sea to the South-West, the clay-limestone soils of the zone, the temperature variation between day and night in summer - all of this is part of Brunello as much as the grapes.
Sangiovese Grosso from Montalcino produces larger grapes with thicker skins than the Sangiovese of Chianti Classico. Thicker skins mean more tannins and more colour compounds - and this is why Brunello has that powerful tannic structure that requires years of ageing before becoming enjoyable.
The production rules: strict regulations
The production rules for Brunello di Montalcino DOCG are among the strictest in the wine world.
Standard Brunello: minimum five years of total ageing, of which at least two years in large Slavonian oak barrels (not barriques - the traditional large barrels) and at least four months in bottle. Cannot be sold before 1 January of the fifth year following the harvest. A Brunello from the 2019 harvest cannot be sold before January 2024.
Brunello Riserva: minimum six years of total ageing, with the same requirements as the standard plus additional months. Marketable from 1 July of the sixth year from the harvest.
Rosso di Montalcino: the “second wine” of Brunello - same grapes, same vineyards, less ageing (one year in total). Marketable much sooner. It is the way to drink Montalcino without waiting five years.
These ageing requirements are not bureaucracy - they are the reason why Brunello is what it is. A wine with as many tannins as Sangiovese Grosso from Montalcino needs years to integrate and become drinkable.
How to read a Brunello label
The label of a Brunello di Montalcino contains information that, read correctly, allows you to form a clear idea of what you are buying.
The producer: the most important factor. Montalcino has over 200 producers - quality varies enormously. The historic producers (Biondi Santi, Casanova di Neri, Ciacci Piccolomini, Il Palazzone, Mastrojanni, Poggio di Sotto) are reliable but not always the best value for money. Many smaller and less known producers make excellent Brunello at more reasonable prices.
The vintage: fundamental. The great Brunello vintages of the last twenty years include 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2019. Less good vintages (2014, 2017) still produce decent wines but less long-lived.
Standard or Riserva: the Riserva has more ageing and generally more complexity, but is not automatically superior - it depends on the producer and the vintage.
When to open a bottle of Brunello
Brunello is perhaps the Italian wine that most requires patience. Opened too young (under 8-10 years from the harvest), it presents still aggressive tannins and closed fruit - it is good but not yet expressing its potential.
The optimal range for most Brunello from good vintages is between the 10th and 20th year from the harvest. The great Riservas from exceptional vintages (Biondi Santi Riserva 2016, for example) can wait thirty years.
If opening a young bottle, decanting is obligatory - at least two hours, preferably three, in a wide decanter that allows generous aeration. This does not transform the wine into what it will be in ten years, but makes it much more accessible.
Brunello and Tuscan cuisine: the great pairings
Brunello is a wine for great occasions - and the pairings must be worthy of it.
Dry-aged Chianina bistecca: the classic and most satisfying pairing. A ten-year Brunello with a rare bistecca fiorentina is a combination that leaves a lasting impression.
Braised or stewed wild boar: Tuscan game and Brunello are made for each other. The complexity of wild boar ragù slow-cooked in Chianti engages with the tertiary complexity of Brunello.
Hunter-style hare: the quintessential autumn dish, hare marinated in red wine and slow-cooked with aromatics is one of the most traditional pairings in the Sienese countryside.
Aged cheeses: Pecorino Toscano aged 18 months, Parmigiano Reggiano aged 36 months - with a mature Brunello these are elegant pairings, ideal at the end of a meal.
Avoid with Brunello: delicate fish dishes, light pasta, fresh antipasti. The wine is too grand for these preparations - it is like bringing a full symphony orchestra to a chamber quartet.
Want to taste it for real?
At Ristorante Alcide you will find it on the table - made the right way, with fresh ingredients and the care of the Ancillotti family since 1849.
