# Brunello di Montalcino (2018)

- **Producer:** Tenuta Il Poggione
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Sangiovese
- **Region:** Toscana, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.5%
- **Average price:** €55
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, rose, violet, black pepper, liquorice, vanilla, cloves, cedar, leather, game, mushroom, tobacco, forest floor, cinnamon

## About this wine

Tenuta Il Poggione is one of the historic giants of Montalcino, widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of the appellation. Located in the southern sector of Sant’Angelo in Colle, the estate was established in the late 19th century when Florentine landowner Lavinio Franceschi purchased the rugged land. Il Poggione was among the first to commercially market Brunello di Montalcino in the early 1900s and was a founding member of the local Consorzio. Today, the estate remains in the Franceschi family, managed by Leopoldo and Livia Franceschi, with winemaking overseen by the father-and-son team of Fabrizio and Alessandro Bindocci. The 2018 vintage is particularly notable because the estate chose not to bottle their single-vineyard Riserva Vigna Paganelli, instead blending those prized old-vine grapes directly into this standard bottling.

## Interesting facts

- In 2018, Il Poggione blended all fruit from their legendary 1964 Vigna Paganelli Riserva directly into this standard Brunello.
- Tenuta Il Poggione was one of the very first wineries to commercially market Brunello di Montalcino in the early 1900s.
- The estate phased out traditional Slavonian oak in 1999, opting entirely for large-format French oak casks.

## Food pairing

This classic Brunello di Montalcino thrives alongside rich, savory dishes that match its robust structure. The wine's high acidity cuts through the fat of marbled meats and rich stews, while its firm tannins are softened by proteins. Earthy elements like mushrooms and truffles mirror the wine's complex tertiary notes, creating a harmonious balance.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process at Tenuta Il Poggione combines traditional methods with modern precision. Grapes are harvested entirely by hand, followed by rigorous selection on an optical sorting table to ensure only pristine fruit is used. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks using indigenous yeasts. Maceration lasts between 15 and 20 days, utilizing the traditional submerged cap (cappello sommerso) technique to gently extract color and stable tannins. Following complete malolactic fermentation in stainless steel, the wine is aged for three years (36 months) in large French oak casks ranging from 30 to 50 hectoliters. This large-format wood aging is a signature of the estate, which phased out Slavonian oak in 1999 to achieve a more polished structural integration. The wine is then aged extensively in bottle before release.