Just ahead of the release of Brunello’s highly anticipated 2019 vintage, Castiglion del Bosco’s winemaker, Cecilia Leoneschi, has announced that Elena Penna and Luca Currado have teamed up with the estate’s long-time consultant, Beppe Caviola.
Earlier this year, the duo resigned from renowned Piedmont property Vietti, which they sold in 2016 to American businessman, Kyle Krause. According to Currado, the seed for this new collaboration was planted by Caviola, who was the couple’s external consultant at Vietti for many years. Their mandate at Castiglion del Bosco is to hone the estate’s cru project.
One of the founding members of the Brunello di Montalcino consorzio in 1967, Castiglion del Bosco has been on an upward trajectory since Massimo Ferragamo purchased the underperforming property in 2003.
Spread over 2,000ha in the northwest of the zone, the property boasts 62ha of vineyards with varying exposures and altitudes. Currado refers to it as ‘one of the most beautiful terroirs in Montalcino’.
Elena and Luca Currado pictured with their children, Michele and Giulia. Credit: elenaspirits.com
Beyond the estate’s potential, Penna points to the skill and ambition of Leoneschi, who has been at the property since 2003, staying on after Ferragamo sold it in 2022.
‘The first thing I did was identify the parcels within the vineyards of the estate,’ said Leoneschi: Campo del Drago was released as a single-vineyard Brunello in 2003 and the estate has recently introduced three cru Rosso di Montalcino, an uncommon approach in Montalcino.
Conversely, crus, or Menzione Geografica Aggiuntivas (MGAs), are well entrenched in the Langhe. ‘We are fostering the “Piedmontisation” of the zone,’ joked Currado, whose father was among the first to label a site-specific Barolo with the 1961 vintage.
Currado believes his ability to distinguish superior sites and nurture a recognisable identity with consistent quality will further Castiglion del Bosco’s aspirations. He already has well over a decade of experience working with Sangiovese at Querciabella in Chianti Classico.
Besides lending their palates to the winemaking process, Penna and Currado’s consultation is ‘360 degrees’, said Penna. ‘We bring 30 years of experience on the commercial side too.’
By all accounts, the couple will also be helping Castiglion del Bosco launch a new cru Brunello in the future.
