Brunello di Montalcino

Pasta dishes, rich stews and blue-veined cheese or Pecorino Cheese.

Property of Fattoria dei Barbi, located in the district of Montalcino and registered for Brunello di Montalcino production. Soil: marl, alberese limestone. Altitude: 300-500 mt slm. Average Age: 15 – 20 years. Orientation: South. Vine Training System: Cortina semplice. Vine Stock per Hectar: 5.000. Yield per Hectar: 65 ql.

After the racking and the malolactic fermentation the wine aged in small-medium size oak barrels (2,25 – 15 hl) for the first months. Later it completed the ageing in larger oak barrels, for a total period of two years and then is bottled at least 4 months before the release.

Before the fermentation, the grapes were subjected to a cold pre-fermentative maceration which consists in cooling the grapes at a temperature of 16° C in an environment protected by COÇ. This process increases the extraction of polyphenols and aroma compounds. The regular alcoholic fermentation followed and lasted 16/17 days at a controlled temperature of 27°-28°C.

Fattoria dei Barbi is among a prestigious group of estates that have played an integral part in writing the history of Italian wine. In fact, the estate is one of only five in Montalcino that has continuously operated for over 100 years. The Colombini family, one of the region’s most influential families, founded the estate in 1790. The family has owned land in Montalcino since 1352, first building the “Poggio alle Mura” estate (now Castello Banfi), then “Argiano”, and finally they began assembling “Fattoria dei Barbi” in 1790, where they have produced wine ever since. The estate is currently owned and managed by the 20th generation heir, Stefano Cinelli Colombini, who carries on constantly seeking innovation through research and the application of new techniques.