A mosaic of vines, forests, olive trees and winding gravel roads, in Montalcino there’s no such thing as monoculture. But there is one hero grape variety – Sangiovese, and its ability to interpret the land and vintage.
Winemakers in the region play a nourishing role in the variety’s development to become ‘Brunello’, the local name for the Sangiovese Grosso clone. ‘The magic of the job is seeing the work done during the season transformed during harvest,’ explains Alessandro Marini, winemaker at Tenuta Luce.
Winemaking decisions – from fermentation temperature and selection of yeast to size of oak and percentage new – form a part of the final product, but in Montalcino, vintage and Sangiovese’s expression of that year, within its terroir, is what forms the DNA of the finished wine.
Scroll down to see 15 top-scoring Brunello di Montalcino 2018s from DWWA 2023
A challenge for growers, 2018 was cool with rain persisting into June and August, followed by a mild September. ‘At first, I was complaining because I didn’t like the vintage,’ explains San Felice winemaker Leonardo Bellaccini, awarded a Bronze for his Campogiovanni 2018. ‘But in the end I was so pleased. 2018 is the story of the black swan.’
The fresh vintage has created ‘wines which are more feminine and delicate, offering verticality and immediacy that we sometimes don’t have’ says Marini. ‘It’s more on the elegant side than I’m used to for the area, and showing very well now,’ adds Bellaccini, who is currently
