Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 2016

100% Sangiovese. Located in Sant' Angelo in Colle in the commune of Montalcino, Tenuta Il Poggione was established at the end of the 19th century by Lavinio Franceschi and is still owned today by the 5th generation of its founder, siblings Leopoldo and Livia Franceschi. Tenuta Il Poggione is one of the original three producers of Brunello di Montalcino. The estate covers a surface area of 1,482 acres, of which 309 acres are planted to vine, 173 acres with olive groves and the rest are arable and woodland used for grazing and raising cattle and pigs to promote biodiversity and a natural approach to farming. Many of the vines are grown at more than 1,315 feet above sea level and are among the oldest in the appellation. The estate is also blessed by its proximity to the Tyrrhenian Sea (about 30 minutes distance by car) to the west and the Orcia River Valley and Mt. Amiata in the south. Led by father-son winemaking team, Fabrizio and Alessandro Bindocci, Il Poggione's guiding principle is to pay meticulous attention to the vineyards with regular monitoring of vineyard conditions along with constant efforts to preserve the typical characteristics yet improve grape quality through research and selection. Harvest is conducted entirely by hand and the wine is made in the traditional method, though modern, state-of-the-art equipment is used. Total control of the vinification process is guaranteed, thanks to the new cellar built in 2004 and the introduction of extremely advanced technology, but as tradition is important, the company keeps the large Allier French oak barrels used for aging its wines five meters below ground. In the best vintages the wines demonstrate extraordinary development in bottle. Even better, prices have remained very reasonable, considering the superb quality of the wine. Poggione’s straight Brunello is one of the most fairly-priced, cellar worthy wines of the appellation. This is a benchmark property for fine, traditionally made Brunellos capable of ageing superbly.