2017 Rosso di Montalcino
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Tasting notes
A description of the 2017 vintage provided by the estate: ‘A year characterised by the absence of rain. During the spring we had late frost followed by a few downpours. The weather remained mild until the end of May which saw a significant rise of temperatures, above the seasonal average. The summer was very hot and dry. Harvest began on 11 September.’ Fermented in stainless steel and concrete tanks of 80 and 100 hl, using the yeast from the cellar which was selected and then cultivated. Daily rack and return and with a total of 16 days of skin maceration. ‘This is the traditional way of the Biondi Santi family and we will continue this. Long macerations are not the Biondi Santi style. Franco [Biondi Santi] didn’t extract very much and we believe that this is stylistically right.’ After the alcoholic fermentation the wine is racked off and aged for 12 months in large Slavonian oak casks made by Garbello. Pale ruby. Lifted, complex nose of raspberry and rhubarb with minerally, iron notes and dark, wet earth. Pure and a little austere with fine persistent tannins. Transparent and a little vibrant on the finish and there is nothing that could point to a very hot and dry year. Needs lots of air. Postscript: On three consecutive days the wine, which was kept without a closure, gained more weight and density on the palate and without any signs of oxidation. While on the second day the fruit opened up, on the third it had become more balsamic but still focused. Bodes well for the future that the archetypal Biondi-Santi style may be maintained. (WS)
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Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
This is the first vintage under the stewardship by of winemaker, Federico Radi. The 2017 Rosso di Montalcino is floral, fresh, and citrusy, with aromatics of Mirabel plum and poppy red fruit. It is springy and refreshing on the palate with ripe raspberry, tea leaf, and blood orange. The warmth of the vintage comes through with a lightly confected fruit quality that lingers on the palate. This is a fantastic Rosso, and a sign of great things to come. Drink 2021-2030.
Here's a wine that proudly opens a new chapter for Montalcino's celebrated Rosso. The Biondi-Santi 2017 Rosso di Montalcino opens to immediately recognized Sangiovese character, presented in a soft, delicate and nuanced manner. The wine pours from its distinctive yellow-labeled bottle to a beautifully mild garnet color with dark sepia accents. As it takes on oxygen in the glass, the wine reveals a slow progression of wild berry, rose, tar, spice and tilled earth. There are faint traces of caramel, candied orange and wild mountain herb. The 2017 growing season delivered ample heat and drought, but the new winemaking team at Il Greppo has taken on these challenges with grace and expertise. On the close, this Rosso shows its characteristic acidity and just enough structure to promise good aging potential.
There’s a purity and savory refinement to the 2017 Rosso di Montalcino Tenuta Greppo that transcends the expectations of this warm and dry vintage. A perfumed display of wild strawberries, fresh roses, violets and a dusting of minerals lift up from the glass. Its textures are silky, carried across a feminine frame, with bright cherries and inner herbal tones that find vibrancy through a core of brilliant acidity. Nuanced tannins and dried berries linger, leaving a lightly structured yet very pretty impression. This is a great introduction to the Biondi-Santi portfolio and deserves the moniker of “Baby Brunello''. That said, the 2017 could use another year of cellaring to further unlock its inner beauty.