1996 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino

Tenuta Il Poggione traces its history to the late 19th century, when Lavinio Franceschi purchased land in the hills southwest of Florence. The family planted vineyards and today the estate in Sant’Angelo in Colle is still run by the Franceschi family. With nearly 250 acres of vineyards, the historic estate produces about 500,000 bottles annually. Its signature wines are Brunellos, which Robert M. Parker Jr. calls “quite classic in their expression of Sangiovese…The wines have an extraordinary track record of developing beautifully with age.”

Brunello di Montalcino is regarded as one of Italy’s best appellations. Located in south central Tuscany below Chianti, the wines of Brunello di Montalcino 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, Brunello di Montalcino is 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. Brunellos in general are bigger, darker, more tannic and more powerful wines than Chiantis or most other Sangioveses. By law they must be aged for four years, and two of those years must be in wooden barrels.