Montalcino Report

Replanting Sangiovese vineyard in Sant'Angelo (Montalcino)

These are some photographs of replanting a vineyard earlier this summer. 

These are the "barbatelle" called the "rootstock" in English.

The vineyard workers line up in rows to plant the rootstocks.

 

He makes a hole in the ground and inserts the rootstock.

 

That is the rootstock in the ground.

 

The rootstocks are then "trained" using rope and stakes. Soon the vineyard will begin to take shape.

Il Poggione pork

These are the "large white" pigs that we started to have few months ago. We chose Large White instead of Cinta Senese as the Cinta Senese meat is really fat, while this has just a little bit of fat. The pork is also part of our concept of integrated farming so that animals are raised together with our vineyards and olive trees. The tradition of our terroir is that animals have always been raised on land near to the vineyards. We believe very strongly that this is a big part of the terroir of Brunello di Montalcino and Sant'Angelo in Colle where we grow our grapes on our estate and make the wine.

We are also Tuscany cowboys and our Limousine cows

You may remember the posts I did on integrated farming earlier this year and last year. Part of our belief in integrated farming is that livestock should also be raised on our estate. We believe that this integrated farming or "agricoltura promiscua" is an important element of the Brunello di Montalcino terroir.

These are Limousine cows and they are kept in a very large fence in the lower part of the farm. We chose Limousine as they're more rustic than Chianina and they're suitable to live outside. Plus, these are from the Appennini, so they're used to cold weather, too

No stable, just open air.

Pool party anyone?

In the case that you live some where where you are "feeling the heat" as they say in the U.S., why not come visit the Farmhouse at Il Poggione for a pool party? This is a view of the pool for one of the 7 private air-conditioned guest apartments in the Il Poggione Farmhouse. Pool party anyone? 

The Farmhouse is an original "casa colonica" in the heart of our estate, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. You cannot see any asphalt roads from here and you feel like you have been transported back into the 1800s (with air conditioning though!). If you want to learn more about Il Poggione Agritursimo, click here. 

This is one of the olive groves that you can see from the Agriturismo. If you would like to join this summer on our estate, please send me an email to: agriturismo@ilpoggione.it. 

Understanding Brunello terroir using Google Earth part III

Click here for a larger version of the map.

In his review of Tenuta Il Poggione's 2004 Brunello di Montalcino, Antonio Galloni noted that "The Brunello is made from four vineyards ranging from 250 to 400 meters in altitude, all in Sant’Angelo in Colle." This is very important because, as you know well, altitude is fundamental for growing grapes for fine wines. You need the altitude so that there will be cooler temperatures in the evening during the summer that allow the grapes to mature more gradually and gently. If it is too hot at night the grapes will mature too quickly and they will "cook". 

In this post on Understanding Brunello terroir using Google Earth part III, there is another very important aspect evidenced to demonstrate how the terroir of Sant'Angelo in Colle is unique and special. 

The top yellow pin indicates Montalcino. The center yellow pin indicates Sant'Angelo in the southernmost subzone of the Brunello di Montalcino appellation. And the bottom yellow pin indicates Mt. Amiata that arrives to 1,700 meters above sea level.

Note how close Sant'Angelo is in reality to the sea and note also how Mt. Amiata provides a sort of "shield" to the south of the Brunello di Montalcino appellation which helps to protect our lands from inclement weather. 

But the most important thing to note is how there is a natural "corridor" that rises up from the sea at the bottom left of the map to Sant'Angelo. One of the interesting things about Google Earth is how it will tell you the altitude of a position where you point the arrow of your computer. Download and install Google Earth: If you pull your cursor along the natural corridor that I have indicated, you can see how the altitudes rise from zero meters above sea level at the sea at the bottom of the corridor up to 400 meters.

This natural corridor brings the cool and dry breezes up from the sea to our vineyards. This is very important for our fruits: the dry sea breeze help us to reduce mildew and rot in our vineyard and the ventilation that they provide help us to preserve freshness in our wines. 

This are some of the important aspects which create the unique growing conditions that represent the Brunello di Montalcino terroir and in particular the subzone of Sant'Angelo in Colle that we think to be the best.

Antonio Galloni: "Il Poggione 2004 Brunello is awesome"

We were very happy to find this review by Antonio Galloni in the website of the Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. Thank you, Antonio, for tasting Il Poggione 2004 Brunello di Montalcino!

Please note also that I have added an "Accolades" page with recent reviews of our wines. Thank you, all, for reading and your continued support! 

My tastings of the 2004 Brunellos are now complete, and one wine stands apart. On its own, this Brunello is one of the top wines of the vintage. But it gets better. At $75 full US retail, it is also relatively fairly priced for a wine of such pedigree. Keep in mind that WA prices assume everyone across the distribution chain takes a full markup, something that is not very likely in this economy. Chances are the wine can be had for much less. Total production is an incredible 220,000 bottles, (18,300+ cases if you prefer to think that way), which means the wine should be readily available in most markets. Any guesses....?

It’s the 2004 Brunello di Montalcino from Il Poggione. Here's my tasting note:

The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino from Il Poggione is awesome. This finessed, regal Brunello flows onto the palate with seamless layers of perfumed fruit framed by silky, finessed tannins. The wine remains extremely primary at this stage, and its full range of aromas and flavors have yet to emerge, but the sheer pedigree of this Brunello is unmistakable. The elegant, refined finish lasts an eternity, and subtle notes of menthol, spices, licorice and leather add final notes of complexity. The estate’s 2004 Brunello is a wine to buy and bury in the deepest corner of the cellar. Brunello is never inexpensive, but this is the real deal, and in relative terms, it is one of the world’s great values in fine, cellar worthy wine. Incredibly, there are 18,000+ cases of the 2004 Brunello, so it should be fairly easy to source in various markets. The Brunello is made from four vineyards ranging from 250 to 400 meters in altitude, all in Sant’Angelo in Colle. The wines from the various vineyards were aged separately in French oak casks prior to being assembled and bottled. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2034