Brunello di Montalcino is part of the historic elite of Italian wines.  Centred around the small town of Montalcino in the south of Tuscany, this Sangiovese based treasure is often labelled as one of the finest wines in the world. Brunello, on it’s day, is a big rich wine of full body, fleshy texture and dry velvety tannins. Common aromas of black berry, black cherry, chocolate, leather and violets contribute to the complexity normally found in Brunello wines and combined with a lively acidity they are often the perfect partner for Italian cuisine.

Like many Italian wines deeply rooted in the areas cultural heritage, there exists the usual philosophical clash on what Brunello should actually taste like. At the centre of the debate is the variations of wood ageing. Traditionalists argue that true Brunello should spend far longer in large oak barrels to soften and refine the wine. Modernists however have successfully lobbied to reduce the minimum ageing requirement down to two years with at least four months in bottle. A reduction in ageing requirements ultimately facilitates the use of more charred barrique which imparts more internationally fashionable flavours such as vanilla, woodsmoke and chocolate. While there is weight behind both … Read more…

Pacing around the living room waiting for guests to arrive, I felt an all too familiar, nagging voice coming from the kitchen. ‘Open me, open me now’ and so, as tends to happen, I buckled under the temptation, turned the corkscrew and pulled the cork from Fattoria Montellori’s Tuscan Rosso, immediately finding myself engulfed in unmistakable Sangiovese cherry and the unmistakable smell that is good red, Tuscan wine.

Initially I justified opening this little treasure, a sample that arrived by magic to my front door, by saying I would have a little drop and put it away or if worst comes to worst serve it to the guests. As tends to happen my decision was made for me as the bottle quickly emptied.

Fattoria Montellori’s ‘Moro is ’75% Sangiovese bolstered with 15% soft plummy merlot and 10% structured Cabernet it is little wonder this wine disappeared in record time. The three varieties are all vinified seperately to harness the individual characteristics of the grape and ultimately created a balanced blend.

Labelled as Toscana Rosso IGT, this is a practise that has become common place since the commercial and branding success of Tenuta San Guido’s infamous Sassicaia. Sassicaia, released for the … Read more…

Tuscany’s green hills rise and fall in perfect harmony, iconic cypress trees line the skyline conjuring the quintessential Tuscan landscape, while on the vines hang rich bunches of Sangiovese fruit. Nowhere is this scene more prominent than in Provincia di Siena, home to the three giants of Tuscan wine, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. All three wines carry the DOCG classification, the summit of Italian wine quality and are responsible for cementing Tuscany’s reputation as one of Italy’s finest wine regions. This all brings me nicely to Azienda Agricola Nottola, nestled away in the countryside around the charming hilltop town of Montepulciano, lining the valley side of the Val di Chiana.

In the 1980s Anterivo Giomarelli purchased the estate and set about its renovation. With stables, farmhouses, olive groves and a granary the estate also boasted the 19^th century Villa Bracci, an ancient wine cellar and ten hectares of vineyard. With respect to the surrounding environment and ambiance, new vineyards were planted and a complete restructuring of the estate took place to encompass what is now a 1700 square metre wine cellar, utilising modern technology to harness 23 hectares worth of fruit. The Nottola … Read more…