Producer profile: Baricci

Baricci have been making wine on this property since the 1950s...

Producer profile: Baricci

Montosoli is probably the most sought-after site in the whole of Montalcino.

It is a small hill on the north side of the village with a meso-climate that, miraculously, is drier in wet vintages and cooler in very hot ones.

The Baricci family has been making wine here on its 5ha property since the 1950s. Founder of the estate, Nello Baricci is a legendary figure.

In the 1960s he was one of the first producers in Montalcino to introduce temperature-controlled, stainless steel fermenting vats.

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At that time he was considered a pioneer; today, the style he created is regarded as one of the most traditional of the denomination, which just goes to prove the adage that every tradition begins life as a successful innovation.

Baricci’s grandchildren are hands-on at the estate now: Francesco Buffi in the vineyard and Federico Buffi in the cellar, although on a family estate everybody helps with everything.

Baricci wines are rarely deeply coloured and if you do not give them a chance to breathe they can seem a bit simple and inexpressive, but when they open up they reveal a rarefied elegance, layer after layer of texture and aroma, and a finish that lasts forever.

Richard Baudains is the regional chair for Veneto in the Decanter World Wine Awards.