Montalcino Report

Tasting Old Vintage of the Rosso di Montalcino by the Tenuta del Poggione

A few weeks ago, we have tasted some great old vintages of Rosso di Montalcino as we prepare for a tasting that we will do soon. The beauty of working for a historical estate like the Tenuta Il Poggione is that of being able to count on an archive of bottles conswerved in the best possible ways and to be able to taste them and to appreciate the longevity and the class of the Sangiovese even in a wine like Rosso di Montalcino. 

Tasting different vintages side-by-side permits us to see how the style of the estate has remained unaltered in time, in the name of the tradition and the quality. It was also interesting to taste the vintage 1982 which, besides being the year of my birth, is the year in which this wine has changed its name from Vino Rosso dai Vigneti di Brunello to Rosso di Montlacino, to then become DOC a year later, in the 1983.

 

My father Fabrizio Bindocci remembers Giulio Gambelli

A few days ago, Giulio Gambelli passed away. He was a historical figure in Tuscan enology, with a great palate and innate ability as a taster, a talent he refined over the course of many years.

A highly capable man but at the same time a paragon of modesty who believed in the potential of Tuscan wines produced using only Sangiovese. He always said that winemakers are the ones who make the wines together with the land and the vine. He was a simple taster who gave his advice to winemakers on what to do in the cellar without forcing them to denaturalize their wines.

He made his first visit to Montalcino in the early 1970s when the Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino asked him to visit all of the producers in the appellation. He drove his famous Renault 4 from winery to winery, tasted the wine from the barrel or vat, and then he would patiently and phlegmatically explain the importance of cleanliness in the cellar, precision in vinification, the importance of racking, etc. But always with the humility typical of the greats in the world of wine.

When he came to visit us at Il Poggione, we liked to have him taste from cask. After our tasting, we would head over to the Trattoria Il Pozzo where we would continue tasting wines from bottle paired with classic Tuscan dishes.

I was proud to know him and our friendship was the source of great joy. Every year, we would speak to catch up and wish each other happy holidays. But this year, season's greetings didn't arrive. He was in the hospital. My thoughts and wishes go out to Giulio's family and dear ones.

Fabrizio Bindocci

Another New Sangiovese Planting This Summer

After the works for the new vineyard at the Ficaioli, we have also replanted another new Sangiovese vineyard this summer in August at the Località Pianelli. In the photo below, you can see that the tillage consists in a preventive effort for the planting of the vine with the goal of making the terrain softer and helping the roots of the vine to reach a greater depth. The work in this case was long and difficult because the terrain was very heterogeneous and needed to be substituted in various zones with soil more suited to the cultivation of the vine.

Harvest Report 2011: The Harvest Has Been Completed 7 October

Yesterday, 7 October, we have completed the harvest, picking the Sangiovese grapes for the production of Brunello di Montalcino in the high zone of Sant'Angelo in Colle, in the vineyards "Costa" and "Fonterenza" to be precise.

Healthy, ripe grapes that will give the Brunello 2011 elegance, aromas, acidity, thanks to the location of the vineyards at 400 meters above the sea level.

We have arrived at the end of a long harvest that begin with the picking of the white grapes on 22 August.

The climatic progression of this year passed from a cool and rainy July to a torrid August without rain. A progression that continued even in September and that made us work diligently in the vineyard to select the grapes and to pick those more advanced in their ripening, which were at risk and were being dried, leaving in the vineyard those which were not good.

The vines located at different altitudes, with ages that vary between 15 and 47 years, have responded well to the climatic progression and we can say that not only for the Riserva I Paganelli, but also for the Brunello di Montalcino vintage and for the Rosso di Montalcino, the quality is very high. Rightly, we must wait for the wines to finish the malolactic fermentation before we pass judgment. But our experience, as we have already tasted them, tells us that the quality is there and that it is very good.

A thanks, as always, to our workers who have worked hard in the vineyard up until the very end, selecting and picking only the best bunches.

Harvest Report 2011: Harvesting Paganelli the "cru" of Tenuta Il Poggione

Today we have begun the harvest of grapes in the Paganelli vineyard, with which we will produce the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli.

The analytical results in the vineyard and in the laboratory tell us that the grapes have arrived at the apex of quality and it is now time to harvest. In the vineyard, we continue to select the grapes manually and those bunches which are not qualitatively perfect are cut and dropped on the ground as food for the animals.

Only the best fruit is delivered to the cellar for the production of our winery's "cru".

Again, this year, the Paganelli vineyard has shown its qualitative potentiality, in an anomalous summer, where it was the vine that made the difference.

Harvest Report 2011: The Grapes Have Held Up Well to the Heat of an Endless Summer

We are now harvesting the Sangiovese grapes in the central zone of our estate next to our farmhouse/agriturismo (called the "Capannacce") in the "vigneto delle olivastre" (the "vineyard of the wild olive trees"). These grapes will be used to produce our Brunello di Montalcino. The grapes are at the correct point of ripeness and also have ripe seeds.

The vines have held up well to the heat of a summer that does not wish to end, as can be seen in the new vegetation.

During the hottest hours of the day, we continue to have temperatures up to 28° C. (82° F.), while during the night the temperatures descend to as low as 16° (61°). The bunches still have turgid berries.

In the cellar, the must from the Sangiovese harvesting the day before yesterday is fermenting and we have already obtained good color.

Harvest Report 2011: Very Light Rain at Il Poggione On Saturday

Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon it has rained on the Mt. Amiata and surroundings, while only a few millimeters of rain fell on our estate.

Sunday evening, as can be seen in the photo, the weather appeared to promise rain. But none arrived.

Today, as planned, we have re-initiated the harvest of the Sangiovese for the production of Brunello di Montalcino.

The grapes are at the right point of ripeness, with excellent parameters.

Harvest Report 2011: Potential Anthocyanins, Seeds Are Ripe, Excellent Vintage Still Expected

Yesterday we have completed the organic fertilizing of the land using manure pellets. They are easy to distribute and they are an excellent substitute for barnyard manure. At the same time, in order to avoid that it be burned by the sun, it was also buried by tilling the land.

We continue to harvest the Sangiovese to produce the Rosso di Montlacino. On Monday, we will begin to harvest the Sangiovese to produce the Brunello di Montalcino. Yesterday, the analytical monitoring has comforted us. The choice to wait to make the harvest has given the hope-for results. The potential anthocyanins have risen to 1428.00 and the extractible anthocyanins to 1017.00. The ripeness of the seeds is excellent. We are still convinced, that at least for us in Sant'Angelo in Colle, 2011 will be an excellent vintage.

Harvest Report 2011: Picking the Sangiovese for the Rosso di Montalcino

Today, 20 September, we have begun again to harvest the Sangiovese grapes with which we will make the Rosso di Montalcino.

This morning at 7:00 a.m., the low temperature was around 10° C. (50° F.). The high is rising but we will not exceed 23-23° C. (72-73° F.). From tomorrow, however there is a forecast of an increase in the temperatures.

The analytic data for the grapes are very good and now the extractable anthocyanin has risen to excellent levels to obtain analytically excellent wines also in terms of their color.

Harvest Report 2011: The White Grapes Harvest Has Been Completed and We Are Waiting for the Sangiovese

Today, we have finished harvesting the white grapes and we have momentarily stopped in the wait for the Sangiovese grapes for the Brunello di Montalcino to arrive at the correct degree of ripening.