BRUNELLO’S GENIUS LOCI
I
n the wine world there is something far greater than simply the real estate on which vines grow. The human factor adds a multitude of traditions and experiences in farming the land and making wine that have been passed down through the generations to select and nurture the ideal grape variety for a particular location.
Montalcino, a medieval hilltop town in central Tuscany just south of Siena, is widely recognized as home to some of the best sites in the world for Sangiovese. However, unlike Barolo or Barbaresco, the sites within Montalcino have never been formally divided into subzones. ‘Crus’ never received official recognition, even though there are single vineyards known to produce exceptional wines year after year. Vineyards in Montalcino are scattered across four unofficial subzones, where altitude, aspect and soil combine with effects from the Tyrrhenian Sea, the
Orcia and Ombrone rivers and Monte Amiata to provide varying impact to a particular site’s terroir. While Sangiovese vines have been planted in Montalcino for centuries, Brunello di Montalcino is a relatively recent appellation. It was granted DOC status in 1968, after which the small number of producers more than doubled to 25. By 1980, Montalcino was the first Italian wine region to be awarded a DOCG designation. This led to a dramatic increase of producers, reaching more than 250 by 2012. Land that had never been used for viticulture before began to be cultivated to support the growing interest in making Brunello di Montalcino wines. Altesino, Il Marroneto, Poggio di Sotto and San Giorgio staked their claim in Montalcino long before this viticultural expansion began. The sites they steward demonstrate Genius Loci at its finest. And in vintages like 2017, that makes all the difference.
View the vineyard sites on Google Earth
EXCELLENCE AMIDST ADVERSITY “The old vines are often found in the best terroirs selected by our ancestors; what the Latins called Genius Loci. Our luck is to have preserved this viticultural heritage.” – Luca Marrone, Winemaker, Poggio di Sotto & San Giorgio
After back-to-back 5-star vintages, producers in Brunello di Montalcino met a challenging 2017. Spring frosts followed by summer drought and heat spikes tested growers across the region. Yields were drastically reduced, particularly in the south, where excessive temperatures caused berries to dry on vines. The 2017 Brunellos received a 4-Star Excellent vintage rating, but the specifics are far more nuanced. The challenges 2017 brought lead to wide stylistic variation within Montalcino. Vines in the best sites and from older vineyards, whose roots were better equipped to retain water reserves throughout the summer drought, performed entirely differently than more recently planted vines in less-than-ideal sites.