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Brunello di Montalcino

The more ancient a Vitis vinifera species, and the wider its distribution, the more synonyms it has it seems. By 'wide distribution' I am not referring to today's global domination of international varieties such as Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, all of which have travelled very far indeed, aided by modern man's desire to explore, settle...and then plant a vineyard. I am thinking instead of more ancient times, hundreds of years ago, to a time when 'long haul' referred to the journey to the next town, not an intercontinental flight. A classic example of this is Sangiovese which, as I have recounted in my introduction to the wines of Tuscany, can be found growing all over northern Italy, not just on the hills around Siena, Florence and Pisa, but further north in Emilia-Romagna, and to the east in Umbria and Le Marche. And this scattered distribution is nuanced by the existence of many different pseudonyms.

With such a widespread distribution, complicated by the existence of numerous clones with different characteristics, it should perhaps be no surprise that Sangiovese might try to mystify us with its pseudonyms, even within Tuscany. Two of the most important are Prugnolo and Brunello, the clones/pseudonyms associated with Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino respectively. This instalment of my guide to the wines of Tuscany looks at the former of these, which is, beyond the vineyards of Chianti, perhaps the foremost red wine region Tuscany.

History

Brunello di Montalcino is one of Italy's best known wines, perhaps not so widely appreciated as Chianti but still enjoying a fame easily on a par with other Italian classics such as Barolo, Barbaresco or Amarone. And yet, unlike Chianti which has ancient origins, dating back to at least the 15th century, Brunello di Montalcino is very much a modern creation, a wine that did not even exist at the beginning of the 19th century.

The focus of this famed DOCG is Montalcino, an attractive hilltop town about 40 kilometres to the south of Siena, Castelnuovo Berardenga, and the edge of the Chianti Classico zone. Like many such Tuscan towns it is of ancient origin, having grown to its current state during the Middle Ages. On the slopes and valleys that lie around the town there would have been mixed agriculture, including vineyards, which yielded a wine which at that time was known as Vermiglio. Like Chianti this was almost certainly a blend, probably dominated by Sangiovese but also including the other usual suspects, such as Canaiolo and Colorino. Although doubtless popular these wines almost certainly did not enjoy the remarkable international reputation possessed by Brunello di Montalcino.

Biondi Santi & Brunello

The seeds of the transformation from Vermiglio to Brunello were sown by Clemente Santi, a pharmacist, who was succeeded at his estate by his grandson, none other than Ferrucio Biondi Santi. Biondi Santi favoured a brown-tinged clone of Sangiovese, a large-berried (or grosso, as opposed to Sangiovese piccolo) clone, which because of its colour was christened Brunello. His vision was of a grand vin, one that required decades of aging before drinking, and which could last one hundred years (should there be anyone confident enough to set out cellaring the wine for such a length of time).

The Biondi Santi family have remained a driving force within the appellation to this day. It was one of the next generation, Tancredi Biondi Santi, who brought together his peers to form the local co-operative when phylloxera began to lay waste to the vineyards. And in the early years of the 21st century it is Tancredi's son Franco who is in charge at the Biondi Santi estate; his wines remain true to the traditional style which requires long cellaring, and he is without doubt a figurehead for the Montalcino DOCG.

Traditionalism versus Modernism

During the 20th century interest in Brunello di Montalcino faltered, and it was only in the 1980s and 1990s that the wine's popularity really began to soar. Wines from traditionalist estates, such as Biondi Santi, were admired for their grand reticence and cellaring potential, whereas more modern-minded producers began to shoot for a more approachable style, one that could be drunk much sooner than one hundred years, often with the help of oak to mellow the wine and smooth off any less-than-polished edges. The wines must be aged for four years before release; the traditionalists will leave their wines in large, old oak botti, a gentle élevage with minimal oak influence, for the entire four years, whereas the modernists will place their wines in toasted barriques of French oak, before bottling after two years, the minimum period of oak aging permitted. In order to complete the mandatory four years aging, however, these more modern styles must lie in bottle for a further two years prior to sale.

Modernism versus traditionalism has also had some influence on the grape varieties used; from a legislative point of view all the wines, both Brunello di Montalcino and the more accessible Rosso di Montalcino, which sees only one year aging before release, must be 100% Sangiovese. Nevertheless, modernists argue that not only does the addition of the international varieties I mentioned at the top of this page, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, improve the quality of the wine, it is also in keeping with long-lost practises when Brunello - or at least Vermiglio - was a blended wine. These producers decided that they could ignore the legislation dictating that Brunello from around Montalcino must be made purely from - as the name indicates - Brunello, and they blended in these varieties anyway. Unfortunately for them (but fortunately for those consumers who sit in the traditionalist camp I suppose) this illegal practise went on to explode in a huge scandal in 2008 which came to be known as Brunellogate.

Brunellogate

The scandal resulted from an analysis of bottled wines from the 2003 vintage which determined that many were not 100% Sangiovese, and the estates in question were blocked from selling their wine as Brunello di Montalcino. Although the focus was just one vintage, clearly the finding had implications for subsequent vintages still in barrel, or recently bottled, patiently undergoing their prescribed four years of aging. Pallet after pallet of wine were impounded, huge quantities subjected to blockade, and legal documents laying out the charges were drawn up against the estates and their representatives; at least one source reported that, at the time, every estate in Brunello bar Biondi Santi and Col d'Orcia were to be indicted. Ultimately this seems to be something of an exaggeration; the list of those facing charges was rather shorter than this statement suggests.

In all seventeen individuals representing some of the leading names of Brunello were indicted, although after plea-bargaining only six will go before a judge, including Stefano Campatelli and Baldassarre Fanti, director and president respectively of the producers' association, as well as employees from Castelgiocondo and Argiano among others. This is a difficult path for these individuals to take. Whereas those who have secured a plea-bargain have been able to release their wines, and keep the cash flowing in (associated with about 20% of the impounded wines having been declassified to Toscana Rosso IGT, note), and thus avoid the legal bills associated with a long, drawn out dispute, those who maintain their innocence and go to court have a long and potentially costly battle before them. They must be absolutely certain of their innocence.

Brunello Today

The way forward for Brunello di Montalcino now is without doubt 100% Sangiovese, even if the wines do not have the colour and concentration of the older illegally blended wines (many punters have noted just how much paler the more recently released vintages of Brunello di Montalcino - with the big change being between 2005 and 2006 - are when compared with wines from just a few years ago....funny, that) but with greater attention to the suitability of the terroir, and organic as well as biodynamic viticulture. There also seems to be a reluctance to declassify to Rosso di Montalcino which should be overcome, as doing so will bolster the quality of what Brunello is produced. There is a body of opinion that would like to foster the development of the Rosso DOC by allowing varieties other than Sangiovese (well, now excluded from Brunello with the certainty that perhaps only comes with the threat of prosecution, I suppose they have to go somewhere) but there are many opposed to this change. Numerous exponents of Italian wine, and of Brunello di Montalcino in particular, have been vociferous in their opposition to such a move, however, and they were naturally delighted when proposals floated by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino to permit blended Rosso were overturned by a vote in September 2011. For the moment, both Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino remain pure expressions of Sangiovese, perhaps more so than ever before, and as such they remain quintessentially Italian.

• Part 5: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano