Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo Annata, Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, 2019

Overview of the Wine
Giorgio Santi (Pienza, 1746 - Pienza, 1822) dedicated much of his life to naturalistic exploration. Almost immediately after graduating with a degree in Medicine from Siena University he travelled to France, first to Montpellier and then to Paris, where he made the acquaintance of great scientists such as Lavoisier and Buffon. He returned to Tuscany to ask the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo license to enter into the service of the Sovereign of Baden, but the Grand Duke, who was very good at recognising people qualities, answered by assigning him the post of professor of chemistry and natural history at Pisa University and of Director of the Museum and Botanical Garden. From then on, all his efforts went into teaching, reorganising the Pisa Museum and exploring the land of Tuscany. Under French rule, he was appointed Inspector General of Studies and then under Ferdinando III, Honorary Head of Education of the Tuscan Universities. In the three volumes that describe his travels around the Province of Siena, he concentrated mainly on the botanical and geological aspects of the areas visited. The work was extremely successful, so much so that it was translated into the main European languages. He was among the initiators of the reports on explorations drawn up using the odeporic method, adopted between the 18th and 19th centuries by numerous travelling naturalists.  

Grape / Blend
Sangiovese

Origin
Tuscany, Italy

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Brunello di Montalcino Biondi-Santi is the first Brunello in history and has embodied for 150 years the vision that inspired Clemente Santi in the nineteenth century to create its first expression. It is today, as then, a distinct wine with a complex and refined personality. Brunello di Montalcino 2016 is a wine full of light and energy, a wine that is predisposed to a very long aging. 

97 Points - James Suckling
Very perfumed and fragrant with sweet berries and fresh roses that follow through to a medium body with pretty depth of fruit and balance. Racy and driven, there’s a lot going on in the center-palate. The legend lives. Give this a few years to open, but already impressive. Best after 2027.

97 Points - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The Biondi-Santi 2019 Brunello di Montalcino was born in a generous vintage that provided abundant high-quality fruit. The growing season became progressively warmer throughout summer, without heat spikes, and it ended with well-timed rains and a warm autumn. Harvest started in mid-September, and the grapes ripened according to the right parameters without over-ripeness. The wine shows a natural textural richness that is supported by dark fruit, navel orange, tobacco, laurel leaf and Mediterranean herb. There are flinty mineral notes that add to the complexity. This beautiful wine hits a special mark: it offers the ethereal qualities you expect of this celebrated estate, with a good level of austerity to match.

Product size: 750ml