Brunello di Montalcino D.O.C.G. 2016

The most beautiful thing in life is often not visible at first glance. The Castello Romitorio winery also borrowed its name from a massive 12th-century fortress surrounded by a thick oak forest on a hill in the north-west of the municipality of Montalcino. The name suggests that this ancient and remote building has served various purposes during its long life, possibly both as a fortification and as a monastery (romitorio - a lonely dwelling). The abandoned building began a new life in the 1950s, this time as a winery, in 1984 when the artist Sandro Chia bought it from his friend, Baron Giorgio Franchetti. He immediately set about restoring the Castello Romitorio, but immediately afterwards began to transform the overgrown fields of the property into vineyards and to build a wine cellar on the ground floor of the castle. Twenty years later, in 2006, the winery began construction of a new state-of-the-art underground wine cellar, which was completed in 2007.

Sangiovese red wines is appreciated for its vivid acidy, intensive tannins and balanced character. Elegant aromas of black cherries and dark plum are characteristic, and may be complimented by notes of dried herbs and spice. The use of oak barrels has become more popular and this involve bold flavors of vanilla, clove and cinamon.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG is one of Italy's prestigious wines. It is made exclusively from Sangiovese grapes grown on the slopes around Montalcino – a classic Tuscan hilltop village 30 kilometers south of Siena. The wine is typically garnet in color with aromas of red and black fruit with underlying vanilla and spice, and perhaps a hint of earthiness. The wines are usually full bodied with alcohol levels around 14 or 15 percent abv. Good tannic structure and bright acidity provides balance. Rosso di Montalcino is found in the same defined area as its bigger brother. This DOC was created in 1984 in order to make the most of the fruit from younger vines of new plantings. The idea was to create a fresher style of wine that needed considerably less ageing time than its sibling.

The hilly terrain and warm climate make Tuscany an ideal region for winemaking. It ranks third by the amount DOC and DOCG category wines after Piemonte and Veneto. Currently the most popular variety is the noble Sangiovese - it is extremely thermophilic and successfully reveals its best traits in warm climates. Wines have a lovely structure, velvety tannins and a fruity aroma, the color is rich ruby red, but the most distinguishable flavor notes are cherries, raspberries and spices.