Wine Advisor
Biondi Santi, Brunello di Montalcino 2011
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Description
The Biondi-Santi flagship wine, the Brunello di Montalcino embodies the spirit of Tenuta Greppo and the signature style of our winemakers, forged over 150 years of history with its balanced combination of fresh elegance, depth and aristocratic personality.
The 2011 Brunello was produced with our proprietary clone of Sangiovese Grosso called BBS11 (Brunello Biondi Santi 11), which was identified and selected by Biondi-Santi at Tenuta Greppo in the Seventies. For this Brunello we exclusively used grapes from the vines with between 10 and 25 years of age.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Franco Biondi Santi passed away in 2013, but his son Jacopo Biondi Santi was already making wine at Il Greppo when the 2011 Brunello di Montalcino was produced. The winemaking approach has not been changed despite the father to son transition. This wine shows extra richness and texture with focused fruit aromas that are graceful but also powerful. There are hints of ripe fruit with dried cherry and prune buried deep within the bouquet. In the mouth, this Brunello shows good structure and acidity with a slightly denser feel compared to past vintages.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino Annata is silky, soft and open-knit, especially within the context of what has been the norm at Biondi Santi for the last few decades. Freshly cut flowers, red berries and mint all open up in the glass, but it is the wine's decidedly mid-weight structure that truly stands out. The 2011 is a very rare young Biondi Santi that will drink well pretty much upon release, as shocked as I myself am to write those words. The bright red cherry, raspberry and floral overtones have an almost Nebbiolo-sense of brightness.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is so pretty and refined with blackberry, cedar, dried-mushroom and plum aromas. Full-bodied and very tight and elegant. Very well done for the vintage. Drink or hold.
About the Producer
The history of the estate dates back to 1840, when Caterina Santi, the daughter of the Santi family, married Jacopo Biondi of the Biondi family, and the two families' premises were merged. The two families merged and began to cultivate the grapes and make the wine that became Château Biondi. The winery was later taken over by Ferruccio Biondi Santi, son of Caterina and Jacopo, who officially changed the name of the estate to Biondi Santi. The Brunello variety is essentially a clone of Sangiovese, but is larger, more tannic and produces a more layered wine. The complexity and elegance of this variety, which is suitable for long-term ageing, makes it a masterpiece of Italian fine wine. The vineyards of Biante Sandi are located at the highest altitude in the hills of Montalcino, with frequent fog on the hillside, which gives them the advantage of not only very good land but also altitude. All Brunello di Montalcino wines are made from grapes sourced from vines that are over 10 years old (25 years old for the Reserve) in the vineyard. After fermentation, the wines are first stored in Slovenian oak barrels for three years and then aged in the bottle for six months before being released for sale.
