2016 Tenimenti Angelini - Val di Suga Rosso di Montalcino

Tenimenti Angelini is a large, Tuscany-based wine producer with estates in several northern Italian appellations. Val di Suga is the company’s Montalcino estate, and it has 135 acres of Sangiovese vineyards at the estate. Tenementi Angelini also owns the Tre Rose estate in Montepulciano with 200 acres of vineyards; San Leonino in Castellina, Chianti, with 90 acres of vineyards; the Collepaglia estate in the Marche region; and wine enterprises in the Veneto. Val di Suga produces 250,000 bottles annually. Gambero Rosso has written that the Val di Suga Brunellos are a “successful bridging of classic and modern style.”

Rosso di Montalcino is a DOC than encompasses the exact same area as the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, the difference being that Rosso de Montalcinos require only one year of aging. Located in south central Tuscany below Chianti, the wines of Montalcino, both the DOC and the DOCG, are made of a Sangiovese clone called “brunello,” which means “little dark one,” a reference to the brown tones in the skin of the grape. Unlike some Tuscan appellations that allow other grapes to be blended with Sangiovese, appellation status Montalcinos are entirely Sangiovese. Montalcino itself is a picturesque, hill-top town not especially well known for wine production until the mid-19th century, when a local vineyard owner isolated the brunello clone and planted it. Other growers followed suit. Nevertheless it wasn’t until 1970s that wine enthusiasts started paying attention to Brunello di Montalcino, which by then was becoming an outstanding wine. Today there are 120 estates in the DOCG, up from about 25 estates in 1975.

This red grape is largely grown in central Italy. As the sole component or in a blend, it gives us Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino and Super Tuscans, among other favorites wines. The name is derived from the Latin for “blood of Jove.”