Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino Riserva ‘Vigna Paganelli’ 2015

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.

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.

The 2016 Vintage at Il Poggione

From Vinous ‘2016 Brunello di Montalcino: Radiance Personified’

Let’s consider how long we’ve all been looking forward to Montalcino’s next great vintage. I’m thinking back to the release of the 2010s, walking the aisles of Benvenuto Brunello and tasting from table to table. Aromatically, the wines made your eyes roll back in your head, followed by an assault on the palate of intense and complex primary fruit, which was quickly clenched and held firm by aggressive tannins. When the reviews finally hit, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. Suddenly, every retailer in the country was pumping out email after email to feed the unquenchable thirst that consumers had for Montalcino’s next great vintage. 

However, after the dust settled, and 2011 arrived, people seemed to be satisfied. The 2011s were ripe and juicy, and consumers were happy to allow them to fill restaurant wine lists instead of their cellars. Next was 2012, just as warm as 2011, yet prettier and more balanced; but it still didn’t move the needle. Two thousand thirteen had some potential and quickened our pulses for a time, yet it wasn’t the next 2010. At this point, we all started to feel the hunger – when would Montalcino have its next great vintage? However, it was just around this time that the 2016 Rosso di Montalcinos began to arrive, giving us a peek into what producers were calling a perfect vintage. The wines were dark and effusive in how they excited the senses, full of energy yet also dense in their fruit profiles, and with structure that was unexpected from the Rosso category. Suddenly, there came a glimmer of hope; and since that time, we have all been waiting for 2016 Brunello di Montalcino.

But now the big question is: Do the 2016s live up to our expectations? Oh, yes; they certainly do.

Where in the World is Il Poggione?

Il Poggione is in Montalcino, Tuscany.