The Red Montalcino event, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of Rosso di Montalcino, showed how this wine is not Brunello’s little brother, but represents a world of its own within the same territory.
]Rosso di Montalcino turns 40 years old. The consortium of Brunello di Montalcino that “protects its brand” organized the birthday with a – this time beautiful – event that well articulated the technical moments (a tasting that covered 30 years of the appellation), historical (a talk show that spanned 3 generations of producers: Enzo Tiezzi, among the architects of the creation of the red, Andrea Costanti, former president of the Rosso di Montalcino consortium, and Francesco Ripaccioli, representing the new age of producers) and playful (a walk around tasting with more than 60 producers with music and mixology to follow, until late at night in the fortress courtyard).
The misconception of the ugly duckling
In the collective imagination, Rosso has always suffered from the image of the ugly duckling of Montalcino, also because of a technicality due to the “bureaucraticism” that called it a “spillover” designation (moreover, the first in Italy and received with great enthusiasm abroad as well: because of its innovative vein and the way it was devised, even our French cousins liked it). Although the term sounds horrendous and de-qualifying, it was meant to indicate A new appellation on the same territory as the DOCG. Then there came some producers talking about “Brunellino” or worse. Others, a few, understood the real scope of this opportunity, and began to create Reds of the highest quality with concepts of positioning and style very different from their Brunellos: almost like a gymnasium of the territory’s potential outside the canonical Brunello.
The great tradition of Montalcino reds has accelerated lately with products that bear on the label the vineyard of origin, a special dedication, or something else, but showing how the producer cares about the ‘identity and characterization Of the product. Some make two or three labels of Rosso di Montalcino, further confirmation of the new awareness and potential of this product.
Vertical tasting: Red Evolution, origins and future of Rosso di Montalcino
The 30-year vertical, which I was assigned to lead, also demonstrated the evolutionary capacity of this wine far beyond the canonical 10 years expected as the standard. But this is just the attitude of the Ilcin territory and it is obvious that its products preserve it.
We want to remember the companies that have always understood and enhanced the concept of Rosso di Montalcino and some wines that represent their natural evolution. Baricci, Biondi Santi, Costanti, Siro Pacenti, Poggio di Sotto, Tiezzi Vigna Cerrino, Caparzo La Caduta (it was the first Rosso to carry the name of the vineyard on the label), Salvioni, Col d Orcia Banditella, Agostina Pieri (1995 was the first Rosso di Montalcino to be awarded by a Guide), Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Rossofonte, Banfi Poggio alle Mura, Il Poggione, Il Marroneto Ignaccio and the more recent Jacopo, Casanova di Neri Giovanni Neri, Argiano Sella del Leccio, the brand new Val di Suga Vigna Spuntali, Castiglion del Bosco with Gauggiole and America.
