Rosso di Montalcino: Superb Sangiovese on the rise

Misunderstood and frequently overlooked, Rosso di Montalcino has long lived in the shadow of its Tuscan big brother, Brunello di Montalcino. But while Brunello enjoys global success and strong sales, Rosso is hiding in plain sight.

The Rosso DOC was created in 1983. The most important way in which it differs from Brunello is its shorter ageing period. The requirement for a minimum of two years of cask ageing for Brunello has resulted in some criticism about the wines ‘drying out’, especially in leaner vintages.

Rosso, on the other hand, only requires 10 months of ageing in total, and not necessarily in oak.

While most of the best Rossos are aged in large barrels for six to 12 months, adding some wood-aged character, primarily it delivers the ripe, expressive character of Montalcino’s famous Sangiovese variety.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 20 Rosso di Montalcino wines to seek out

Styles and approaches

Because of the more relaxed regulations, there has been a level of ambiguity around the style of Rosso di Montalcino’s wines. The historical practice by leading wineries, such as Biondi-Santi, was to mark down or declassify to Rosso those casks of maturing wine not considered good enough to go into the Brunello.

This barrel selection process gave Rosso a reputation for being a ‘baby Brunello’.

Declassified Brunello wines still exist, however today many growers set out to produce Rosso from dedicated grapes or vineyards instead.

In some instances, this will be fruit from younger vines or newer vineyards (for example, Canalicchio di Sopra), while for others it will be a single-vineyard wine (eg, Il Marroneto’s Ignaccio, Fuligni’s Ginestreto, or La Caduta from Caparzo).

For others still, the Rosso bottling is based on a fruit selection across the property’s vineyards (such as Sesti: see recommendations below).

‘The production of Rosso is really diversified among producers, so it is not easy to think about it in a single way,’ observes Luca Marrone, chief winemaker at both Poggio di Sotto and Tenuta San Giorgio.

A smart buy

To add further complexity, the best Rossos can have the fruit concentration and structure to age in bottle for as long as some Brunellos, and producers increasingly acknowledge that Rosso from a strong vintage can outperform Brunello from a weak one.

Many of the best examples of Rosso can age in bottle for 10 or more years. And Rosso isn’t just there to fill a gap while waiting for the Brunello to mature: the aged character of a good Rosso at 10 years of age is different – not necessarily inferior – to that of a good Brunello.

That’s important, because it makes Rosso a worthwhile purchase even if you are able to afford increasingly expensive Brunello. If you admire a producer’s Brunello, its Rosso is often worth buying and is usually a third to half the price of its Brunello.

The DOC also offers what Elisa Sesti at Sesti’s Castello di Argiano calls ‘the pulse of the vintage’. In other words, Rosso is often a good way to experience how a producer handles a particular harvest three or four years ahead of its Brunello wines being released, which can in due course help your buying decisions on the latter.

It’s also worth noting that if you enjoy a fruit-forward style of Sangiovese, you might even prefer a young Rosso, served at 16°-18°C, to a more structured and developed Brunello.

Price and value

Current production volumes for Rosso di Montalcino stand at just under half those of Brunello, according to official figures, making Rosso the rarer wine, which is in marked contrast to the second wines of top Bordeaux châteaux.

But with production rights extended from the 2024 vintage, more Rosso will become available. The fruit will come from existing Sangiovese vineyards currently registered only for regional IGT-level wines.

In the meantime, the strong 2021 and 2022 vintages are widely available and offer the perfect opportunity to get started with this under-the-radar DOC that offers some of the best value in Italy…

Jason Millar’s top 20 Rosso di Montalcino wines:

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