Biondi-Santi Rosso di Montalcino 2023 750ml

Restrained, with layered fruit, showing red currants and red cherries, licorice, potpourri and bergamot. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shines with tension, offering fresh acidity and firm, chalky tannins that are well extracted on the midpalate and polished in the finish. Drink or hold.

Showing a medium-lean consistency, the Biondi-Santi 2023 Rosso di Montalcino is fruity and bright, offering aromas of blue flower and wild rose. The palate is light and fresh, driven by delicate red fruit and a precise, transparent structure. The 2023 growing season was marked by climatic instability, including a severe frost on April 6 and intense mildew pressure caused by 32 rainy days over a 45-day stretch from May to June, when 235 millimeters of rain fell (nearly half the historic seasonal average compressed into one-third of the time). “It gave us little time to react,” says Biondi-Santi general manager Giampiero Bertolini, underscoring the importance of meticulous vineyard work and strict selection. From the historic estate credited with defining Brunello di Montalcino, this Rosso reflects the same disciplined approach, translated into beautiful primary intensity, as the estate has worked diligently to elevate this category. Made from a precise selection of grapes sourced across the estate’s vineyards, fermentation begins with a pied de cuve, and the wine is aged for 12 months in traditional Slavonian oak casks, drawing on the estate’s long-standing cellar practices and a carefully managed oak inventory. All said and done, 2023 is showing very promising results across the board.

Honest and clean cut, the Rosso di Montalcino reveals aromas of small red berry fruits as we find them in the forest during summer: raspberries, wild strawberries and red currant, but also sour cherries, so typical of Sangiovese from a cool vintage, which are immediately backed up by pretty scents of violets and hints of aromatic herbs. On the palate it shows all its energy with a lively freshness and a centered, fruity core with fine-grained tannins leading to a fragrant and deliciously savoury finish. An elegant vintage.