Producer Profile: Silvio Nardi
Immersed in the natural, untamed Tuscan countryside...
Producer profile: Silvio Nardi
A number of estates at Montalcino have plots in different parts of the commune, with different characteristics, but nowhere is the diversity of terroir more striking than in the case of Silvio Nardi.
There are nearly 10ha to the southeast of the village at a property called Manachiara, which in the local dialect means ‘bright morning’.
It is a gorgeously open, sunny place with long views in all directions and a continual movement of the air.
The original property of the Nardi family, Casale del Bosco is at the opposite end of the commune, on the edge of the DOCG zone to the west.
What I love here is the sense of being immersed in natural, untamed Tuscan countryside.
Muddy paths lead from one vineyard to another through rugged woodland and the vines are planted on virgin soils.
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The total holding over the two properties consists of eight sub-zones divided into no fewer than 36 plots.
The parts of this complicated jigsaw come together in the estate Brunello, a cuvée assembled with the consultancy of Bordeaux oenologist Eric Boissenot.
But for the joy of Brunello fans, there are also two single vineyard selections, one from the east and one from the west.
Richard Baudains is the regional chair for Veneto in the Decanter World Wine Awards.
Richard Baudains was brought up on the formerly French-speaking island of Jersey (hence the French surname). He moved to Italy to teach, and his first article with Decanter was published in 1988. He has been writing about Italian wine ever since, currently with a monthly column on Decanter Premium. Judge and long-time regional chair at the Decanter World Wine Awards, Baudains is also on the editorial team of the Slow Wine Guide for Friuli Venezia Giulia, and has taught MA courses on Wine Journalism at the Università delle Scienze Gastronomiche. Baudains judges in wine competitions and leads tastings and educational seminars in various Italian regions. Outside of wine, he works as a Cambridge University English language examiner. He lives in Gorizia.