# CastelGiocondo Brunello di Montalcino (1999)

- **Producer:** Marchesi de' Frescobaldi
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Sangiovese
- **Region:** Toscana, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.0%
- **Average price:** €115
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now
- **Serving temperature:** 18–20 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, blackcurrant, blackberry, orange, violet, vanilla, cloves, cedar, chocolate, leather, tobacco, forest floor, mushroom, dried fig, prune

## About this wine

Tenuta CastelGiocondo, owned by the historic Marchesi de' Frescobaldi family, is located in the southwest of Montalcino, Tuscany. The estate centers around an ancient fortress built in 1100 and is historically significant as one of the pioneering properties that defined the Brunello di Montalcino appellation in the 1800s. The 1999 vintage represents a classic, highly structured year in Tuscany, benefiting from a warm summer and dry autumn that allowed the Sangiovese grapes to achieve optimal ripeness and concentration.

## Interesting facts

- The estate's fortress was originally built in 1100 to defend the road leading from the Tyrrhenian Sea to Siena.
- The label features a 14th-century fresco by Simone Martini depicting the Sienese commander Guidoriccio da Fogliano.
- The 1999 vintage was ranked #15 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2004.

## Food pairing

This mature, full-bodied Sangiovese requires rich, savory dishes with high protein and fat content to soften its resolved but still structured tannins. The wine's high acidity cuts through the richness of game meats and aged cheeses, while its complex tertiary aromas of forest floor and leather beautifully complement earthy ingredients like mushrooms and truffles.

## Wine making process

The grapes were hand-harvested in late September and early October, followed by strict sorting. Fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks at 28–30°C with frequent pump-overs to optimize extraction. After completing malolactic fermentation, the wine was aged for a minimum of four years before release. This aging process included two to three years in a combination of traditional large Slavonian oak casks and French oak barriques, followed by six months of refinement in the bottle.