Brunello di Montalcino

🇮🇹 Italy

DOCG

First Italian DOCG - 100% Sangiovese Grosso aged 5 years

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Region profile

History

Clemente Santi isolated superior Sangiovese clone (Sangiovese Grosso) mid-19th century. Grandson Ferruccio Biondi-Santi bottled first Brunello 1888, aged in large Slavonian oak casks. DOC status 1968 (11 producers). First Italian DOCG 1980. Biondi-Santi remained sole producer for decades, establishing aging tradition.

Climate
Mediterranean with Tyrrhenian Sea influence; 120-660m altitude; warmer and drier than Chianti; long growing season
Signature wines
Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (since 1888) and Soldera Case Basse - legendary age-worthy expressions of Sangiovese Grosso
What sets it apart
First Italian DOCG 1980; Ferruccio Biondi-Santi created category 1888; 100% Sangiovese Grosso mandate; 5-year aging minimum; Biondi-Santi sole producer for decades

Facts

  • 2,100 hectares vineyards
  • 200+ producers
  • first Italian DOCG 1980
  • 11 producers pre-1968 (60 hectares)
  • galestro schist and limestone soils

Region profile from the Wine Memories wine-data corpus · verified January 2026