Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino 2019

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Il Poggione

Below the beautiful hilltop town of Sant’Angelo in Colle – in the southern section of the Brunello di Montalcino appellation – is the historical farm of Tenuta Il Poggione, a property steeped in history, with origins dating back to the late 1800s.

Il Poggione continues to set the benchmark for uncompromising quality, which is all the more remarkable considering it is one of the largest wineries in Montalcio and makes some 200,000 bottles of Brunello a year.

Fabrizio Bindocci explains that Il Poggione has no interest in making any big changes in the near future, and eschews the trend of cru classifications in Montalcino, preferring to stick to traditions has served this estate well for decades now. That said, the winery technically already has a cru Brunello in the form of their Riserva, which emerges from fifty-five-year-old vines in the Paganelli vineyard. Simply stated, you’d be hard pressed to find more dependable bottles of Brunello or Riserva with this combination of quality and price point.

Lavinio Franceschi, a landowner from Florence, visited the area near Montalcino in 1890 after hearing romantic stories from shepherds who grazed their herds in this warmer area over winter. It was love at first sight, and he purchased land and established a farm. Soon after, he realised this was an ideal place to grow grapes.

Franceschi’s greatest achievement was to recognise the area’s potential for vine cultivation and to see the suitability of the region to produce superior examples of Sangiovese. His management, modern business approach and enterprise marked the end of the almost medieval agricultural methods of the time. New Sangiovese clones adapted to producing high-quality grapes were selected, and new vineyards were planted in the most suitable sites, with a view to producing only superior wines. A new winery was built, complete with the most up-to-date technology, while still maintaining a focus on tradition, authenticity and regionality.

Il Poggione is one of the founding members of the Brunello di Montalcino Consortium and was one of the first wineries to market Brunello di Montalcino wine – as early as the 1900s. In more recent years, the farm has been used as a nursery for Montalcino biotypes.

These days, Il Poggione is run and managed by father and son team Fabrizio and Alessandro Bindocci, but even after 130 years, Lavinio Franceschi’s work is still fundamental to their approach. The same dedication, unflagging passion and a combination of tradition with the most innovative techniques are used to amplify quality.

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In the Vineyard

The estate is located on the southern slopes of Montalcino, in the warm, yet well-ventilated micro-climate of Sant’Angelo in Colle, where we find varied exposures, soils and elevations of behind these impeccably balanced Brunellos.

In the Winery

After the harvest the wine ferments at controlled temperature with indigenous yeasts, inside stainless steel tanks with the “submerged cap” technique.

Thanks to this type of fermentation, it is possible to obtain intense colours and flavours and honour the style of Brunello di Montalcino.

Five metres under the vinification cellar the winery keeps its large French oak barrels used for aging the wines.

Since it is completely underground, the cellar’s temperature and humidity are naturally ideal, which allows an optimal aging and storage of the wine.

Vintage 2019 in Montalcino

The current releases from Montalcino are an embarrassment of riches for collectors and fans of the appellation. … classic 2019 Brunellos, the high-energy and fruit-forward 2021 Rossos.

…this is a year where the entire region excelled, from southwest to east and northeast to west. Frankly stated, finding a 2019 that doesn’t show remarkable balance, vivid fruit and freshness is a difficult task. In my opinion, this is always a mark of a great year. The highs are exceptionally high, and the lows are few and far between. What’s more, this is a year where many lesser wines excelled, making picking out a 2019 Brunello a relatively easy affair.

This is a vintage of radiance and appeal without any sensation of over-ripeness or lack of complexity. The wines are aromatically intense and full of dimension, with translucent color, fruit typicity and the ability to communicate a sense of place. They are structured and built for cellaring, often showing their best after being open for over two days in bottle. The terms classic, racy, cool-toned, crunchy and sleek litter my tasting notes, and while many 2019s display an inviting personality today, they are balanced for the cellar and sure to mature beautifully over the next ten to fifteen years, if not more. This is the vintage we’ve all been waiting for. 

Eric Guido, Vinous

2019 ranks close to 2016 in terms of overall excellence…

What struck me most about this vintage is what I perceive as the possible beginning, or distant stirrings, of a new identity. It’s too early to call it a “new wave,” or “nouvelle vague” in French, but cinephiles might recognize certain patterns, a desire for experimentation and a spirit of iconoclasm.

I’m referring to the increasingly tight-knit group of artisanal winemakers like Il Marroneto, Le Chiuse, Le Ragnaie, Pian dell’Orino, Poggio di Sotto, Salicutti and Stella di Campalto, who are independently but simultaneously pushing the bar higher. Their work builds upon the timeless classics created by Biondi-Santi, Cerbaiona, Soldera and Salvioni.

A common remark from vintners was how uniformly easy 2019 fruit was to farm and ferment.

Elevation is one of the most talked about issues in the appellation today. Appellation guidelines once fixed the ceiling for Brunello di Montalcino at 600 meters above sea level, but that was recently raised to 650 meters. The highest point, the Passo del Lume Spento, sits at 621 meters in elevation. There has been a rush of important investments recently in these higher and cooler areas.

The generic 2019 flavor profile sees lots of dark fruit without excessive ripeness. There is good balance between acidity, concentration and tannins, which feel elegantly fine-grained and sometimes chalky.

The 2019s are also distinguished by more concentration and fruit weight that remains balanced and elegant.”

Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate

“The 2019 vintage finally gave us all reason to exhale because we harvested with perfect ripeness and without worrying too much about fruit selection. Everyone around Montalcino threw big harvest parties to sing and celebrate the extraordinary quality of fruit,”

“Fruit from 2019 showed elegance coming into the winery. This vintage was born elegant.”

Alessandro Mori, Il Marroneto

Where in the World is Il Poggione?

Il Poggione is in Montalcino, Tuscany.