Montalcino Report

Is Sangiovese Grosso really "grosso"?

A lot of people have the misconception that the clones of Sangiovese used in Montalcino and Sant'Angelo in Colle to make Brunello are "grosso", in other words, that their "acini" (in Italian) or "berries" (in English) are "large" ("grosso" means "big" or "large" in Italian). In fact, the two clones used predominantly in our land of production are VCR 5 and VCR 6 (VCR stands for the clonal selection company that developed them, Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo) and are medium to small in size. 

The following description is the one given by Calò, Scienza, and Costacurta in their almanac of Italian grape varietals, "Vitigni d'Italia".

"VCR 5: Brunello Type. Almost plumeless bud. Medium-small bunch and berry. Blue, thick skin. Good resistance to Botrytis".

"VCR 6: Brunello Type. Medium-small bunch and berry. Consistent skin. Good-excellent resistance to botrytis".

In fact, one of the most common Sangiovese clones used in Toscana is the Rauscedo 10 also sometimes called the "Grosso Lamole": "Lamole Type. Medium-large bunch, pyramid trunk, semi-compact. Large berry. Vigorous, very productive. It is the typical Sangiovese grosso toscano".

Depending on the source, there are probably about 80 clones of Sangiovese homologated in Italy and about 20 of those are cultivated in Toscana.

In fact, in Montalcino and Sant'Angelo in Colle we have historically used smaller berries Sangiovese clones in order to give our wines more color and more structure and more longevity. The smaller is the berry, the more surface area of skin in ratio with the pulp and liquid of the berry. The skin contains the tannin that gives Brunello di Montalcino its structure and its nobility. 

The Sangiovese grosso cultivated in our land of production is not "grosso" at all. 

The origins of the name Sangiovese, possible explanations

Many people think that the name Sangiovese comes from "sangue di Giove" or "blood of Jove" but this is probably not the case. We have translated the below passage from "Vitigni d'Italia", "Grape Varieties of Italy", by A. Calò, A. Scienza, and A. Costacurta.

The history of this grape variety is very difficult to reconstruct because there are no reliable mentions of it before the sixteenth century. The first one to speak of it is Soderini (1590) in the tractate, "The Cultivation of Vines", where he takes note of Sangiogeto, a grape varietal remarkable for its regular productivity. Trinci (1738) praises it in "Agricultural Experiments" and Gallesio speaks of it widely in "Pomona Italiana" (1830), devoting an entire chapter to it. The origin of the name is uncertain but one plausible hypothesis was given by Hohnerlein-Buchinger (1996). The grape variety buds early: "Sarzana" or "Sangiovannina" was used to denote "uva primaticcia" or "early-ripening grape" in the dialect of northwest Tuscany. The meaning of the name could also be related to "jugum" or yoke, from Romagna, a reference to either a mountaintop or the hilly landscape of the Appennines of Tuscany and Romagna. The French terms "jouellè" (row of vines) and "jouelle" (stake that connects two vines) are also derived from the Latin "jugalis", could also be the underlying origin, similar to the grape name "Schiava" (slave) which is derived from its training method.

100% Sangiovese certification for our Brunello di Montalcino

The wines produced by Tenuta Il Poggione have been certified as 100% Sangiovese by an outside, independent Norwegian risk management company since the 2003 vintage. The company is called DNV and it is one of the most respected risk management and auditing firms in the world. This is a link to a page the company did on its website about the certification of our wines.

Beginning with the 2004 vintage of our wines, we have started to add this golden seal with the DNV emblem which states "certified product from 100% Sangiovese grown using integrated farming."

Here's a link to a post I did last year on the concept of "integrated farming".

We are very proud of our products and how they express the terroir of Sant'Angelo and Montalcino. We believe that Brunello di Montalcino should be made from 100% Sangiovese grapes and our DNV independent certification is an example of how we above and beyond the requirements of the "disciplinare" or appellation to ensure the consumer that our wines are made from 100% Sangiovese.

My father's knife

The other day a friend of our was asking about my father's famous knife. Every where he goes, whether abroad, to America, to Verona for Vinitaly, he always carries his "trusty" knife. He buys his knives at the famous "coltelleria" Saladini in Scarperia in the province of Florence. Scarperia has always been a historic place for the production of fine, artisanal cutlery. We eat a lot of steak "bistecca fiorentina" in Toscana and my father likes to use his own knife to cut his meat whether at home or at one of the many famous steakhouses in America, where they have very high quality beef that goes well with our wines. 

We would like to thank another friend, Rich Cahalan, for including us in this wonderful video of his visit to Vinitaly. Thank you, Rich!

Buona Pasqua, Happy Easter from Il Poggione

Photo by Fabio Muzzi.

Buona pasqua and happy easter to you and your from the whole family at Il Poggione!

My father and me and Vinitaly

My friend Jeremy Parzen made this photograph of me and my father Fabrizio Bindocci yesterday when he came by Il Poggione stand at Vinitaly with the bloggers Alfonso Cevola and Rich Cahalan.

We have been having a good fair and the 2004 Brunello and 2003 Riserva Brunello of Il Poggione are very good right now. They also liked our new rosato called Lo Sbrancato, made from 100% Sangiovese grapes.

Thanks, Jeremy, for this photo! 

No vote held on proposed Montalcino DOC

I apologize for the hurry of this post but I am preparing for our stand at Vinitaly today! 

I communicate that at the meetings of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino on March 27 and March 29, 2009, no vote was held on a proposal for the creation of a new DOC, "Montalcino DOC". The proposal was made but it was decided that a vote would not be taken until more discussion of said proposal takes place. If approved, the Montalcino DOC would erase Rosso di Montalcino DOC (that does not allow grapes other than Sangiovese) and Sant'Antimo DOC (that does allow other grapes to be blended) and would allow for the blending of grapes other than Sangiovese in it.

My father and I believe that Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino should be made with 100% Sangiovese grape.

I hope to see you in Verona!