A Note from Sergio
A Note from Sergio
Biondi-Santi more or less epitomizes the ideal of timeless elegance. Driving up to the Greppo estate, you find two neat rows of cypress trees border the driveway, like a ceremonial carpet lined by countless pairs of dress soldiers. These trees seem to usher your car both toward the estate and back in time. Driving up that martially straight road, you feel the modern world fall away like so many bytes and SIMS and drips of data. Modernity may be present at Biondi-Santi (they have remarkably reliable Wifi, for example), but it's hardly the point. It's there, but it's tolerated like the necessary evil it can be.
The yellow stone villa, its blooming flowerpots and trellises of vines placed with an eye for restrained beauty, reiterates this emphasis on eternity. The surrounding grounds echo it too; there's no place you can stand without your eye resting on a beautiful view. The grave and stately trees, the house that sits as if it has always been there, the grape vines that stretch off into the Montalcino distance, even the dog kennel holds an understated, refined beauty. It is the land that time blessedly forgot, or if not forgot, at least pardoned. It's as if time itself visited Biondi-Santi and decided in its infinite wisdom to let this one slide.
The estate provides you with the proper state of mind to appreciate it, but the cellar is the best evocation of all that makes Biondi-Santi Biondi-Santi. Light slants through its windows, illuminating the space like a chapel. Its red cement floor gleams, and its cement maceration tanks shine. On a botti sit a worn tweed fedora and a cast-iron candleholder fitted with a simple white candle. They belong to Franco Biondi-Santi, the "Gentleman of Montalcino," and they rest until he's ready to don the hat and carry the candle, the only illumination he'll allow in his private cellar. It's what his father, Tancredi, did, and it's what his father's father, Clemente, did before him.
In this cellar sit the giant botti, many of which are 150 years old. Franco makes his Brunellos in them because, he says, they "stamp the new vintages with the DNA of the old." Like the hat and the candle, it's what his father, the man who popularized Brunello, did, and what his father's father, the man who essentially created the wine, did before him. Most producers would have replaced those botti decades ago; most producers would have had to do so. In the hands of most winemakers, botti grow old and stagnant over time--they age and they grow unproductive. But Biondi-Santi has, as all evidence would seem to suggest, a pardon from time. Year after year, decade after decade, these botti turn out amazing, ethereal wines, wines with near eternal aging properties, wines that only get better and better with time.
This week, I'm delighted to offer the recent release of the 2006 Biondi-Santi Brunello as well as the 2004 and the '04 Riserva. These are all gorgeous wines, made by a master in two very excellent--if very different--vintages. If you're anything like the man who made them, you may decide to cellar it for decades, but if you're like me you'll want to open a bottle, pour out a glass, and let the bottle sit for a day before drinking. It's what Franco does, and what his father and grandfather did before him. It's just a suggestion; I only hope that you enjoy Biondi-Santi in your own way and on your own sweet time. In these wines you'll find the taste of eternity.
My Best,
P.S. You can now follow me on Twitter: @Italian_Wine_SE.
Featured Wines
Biondi-Santi
Il Greppo Brunello di Montalcino 2006, 750ml, $165**
A powerhouse of a Brunello, the '06 floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. Lots of ripe dark cherries and berries, a mesmerizing balance of mouthwatering acidity and velvety tannins, and complex yet nuanced aromatics make the '06 a wine a wonder to the senses. Franco Biondi-Santi sees this one drinking for the next seventy years.
Biondi-Santi
Il Greppo Brunello di Montalcino 2004, 750ml, $175**
Like a young, handsome Cesar Romero, the 2004 Biondi-Santi holds a dark, interesting beauty. Notes of violets and cherry blend with a thrumming bass of earth, meat and smoke in this elegant Brunello that will get even more fascinating with age. Drinking for the next thirty years or more.
Biondi-Santi
Il Greppo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004, 750ml, $387**
Spicy, supple, nuanced and elegant, the 2004 Brunello Riserva sways with the seductive curves of a belly dancer. Its elegant body proffers handfuls of fresh, lush ripe fruit that's delicately underlain with the scent of violets, a waft of smoke and a dusting of warm spices. Drinking for the next three or four decades.
Everyday Rossos
Canalicchio di Sopra
Rosso di Montalcino 2008, 750ml, $27.00**
Often considered Brunello's "little brother," Rosso di Montalcino is younger, fresher, and, most importantly, immediately enjoyable. Expect a vibrant ruby wine with a robust core of dark berries and cherries, a streak of minerality and notes of citrus peel. This elegant yet fruity wine is a fabulous complement to pastas, roasted meats and serious cheeses. Drinking now, because it's hard to wait for your Brunello.
Valdicava
Rosso di Montalcino 2008, 750ml, $34.80**
Fresh, vibrant, and charming, this Rosso shimmers across your palate on a bed of ripe berries and plums, a smattering of cinnamon and a touch of earth. Light-to-medium-bodied and redolent of its big brother Brunello, the '08 Rosso from Valdicava is a delightful wine that's drinking now to five years from now, happily.
**Indicates pre-arrival.
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