Rosso di Montalcino: No longer a ‘baby Brunello’?

Though its quantity remains unchanged, Rosso di Montalcino’s identity is becoming more defined and it seems to be at the centre of a tug of war.

Born in the 1960s as ‘vino rosso dai vigneti di Brunello’ – red wine from the vineyards of Brunello – its potential is based on similarities with its big brother: 100% Sangiovese from the village of Montalcino, planted over some of the oldest soils in the area.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 15 top Rosso di Montalcino wines

Here, the ripening of the high-toned, nervy flagship grape of the region is understated and Rosso di Montalcino can easily achieve complexity, expressing its savoury schisty finish even without ambitious winemaking – its best quality, in my opinion.

One of the main differences between Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino is the ageing. Rosso di Montalcino is shorter; just one year of ageing is required by law, and it can be, in theory, aged without any oak. This is not necessarily bad news for the fresher style sought out today by so many consumers.

Another key characteristic of Rosso is its affordable price, which can at the same time be a limiting factor for producers. ‘We can find very good wines for 15 to 20 Euros, but if too low, the price penalises Rosso di Montalcino,’ states Fabrizio Bindocci, recently re-elected president of Consorzio Montalcino.

With both Rosso and Brunello in high demand, it is inconceivable to increase the quantity of the former at the expense of the latter; it’s simply reflected in the numbers. According to the Consorzio, the production of Rosso di Montalcino currently amounts to four million bottles – less than half of the total quantity of Brunello.

There are only 510 hectares in Montalcino exclusively dedicated to the production of Rosso, but this DOC wine can also be the result of declassified Brunello grapes. ‘Today 40% of Rosso di Montalcino is made using declassified grapes for Brunello,’ says Enrico Viglierchio, CEO of Banfi. ‘Indeed, there is a shortage of Rosso due to the increased market potential of Brunello, but also because it would be unimaginable to produce Rosso with grapes not good enough for the DOCG [Brunello di Montalcino].’

The appellation is discussing the possibility of enlarging the area of land available for Rosso production, but there is nothing official at the moment.

What can be observed instead is a new trend: during ‘Red Montalcino’ – the first edition of a sort of anteprima tasting dedicated solely to Rosso di Montalcino DOC held in June – it was revealed that many producers are labelling selections of Rosso di Montalcino; a kind of premiumisation of Rosso. Many of these selections boast two years of ageing, rather than the one year minimum.

Vineyard selections include the young vines in ‘Rossofonte’ from Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, and the old vines in Casanova di Neri’s ‘Giovanni Neri’, but Rosso di Montalcino has also been used to debut the next generation of winemaker at Il Marroneto with the launch of Iacopo, named after Alessandro Mori’s son. Iacopo is a selection of wine in big oak vessels (botti) likely to become Brunello di Montalcino, but which is bottled as a top Rosso instead.

So, are we back to identifying the best Rosso di Montalcino as ‘baby Brunello’? It is certainly not the only definition. ‘The rise in crus for Rosso is good news – it proves that the estates are investing in quality,’ commented Bindocci during a workshop about the DOC. ‘Rosso is not a baby Brunello,’ added Violante Gardini, Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s daughter, ‘it is a sprinter versus a marathon runner.’

In the same context, more definitions were proposed for Rosso: ‘Less expensive than Brunello’; ‘young wine for young people’; ‘an emerging wine for Montalcino’. The last definition would probably be the most ideal slogan for this wine. Its shorter ageing compared to Brunello, especially nowadays, is a gift for both producers and consumers in terms of fragrance and freshness. Moreover, in cooler vintages it is considered acceptable for wineries to produce lighter styles of Rosso – easier to drink and softer – while Brunello is always expected to be full and extracted.

This makes Rosso a great contemporary wine. The biggest surprise, however, even with subtler winemaking, could be Rosso di Montalcino’s ageing potential. During a dinner in Montalcino, Riccardo Illy opened two bottles of Mastrojanni 1984 blind: one was Brunello and one was Rosso. Nobody, including me (sorry!) was able to identify the Rosso at nearly 40 years of age. A vertical tasting of several different labels further proved the great potential of the DOC.

Aldo’s top Rosso di Montalcino wines

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