Biondi Santi: wines and prices

About Biondi Santi

To speak of Biondi-Santi is to speak of the very origins of Brunello di Montalcino. In the second half of the nineteenth century Clemente Santi recognised the potential of Montalcino Sangiovese, and his grandson Ferruccio Biondi Santi selected a clone of Sangiovese Grosso, BBS11, vinifying it on its own to make a wine meant for long ageing: he is credited with creating Brunello as we know it. Tancredi and later Franco Biondi Santi upheld a strictly classical style throughout the twentieth century, built on vibrant acidity, fine tannins and large Slavonian oak casks. The heart of the estate is Tenuta Greppo, south-east of Montalcino, with vineyards on galestro and alberese soils at relatively high elevations. Since 2017 the property has belonged to the French group EPI, which has invested in vineyards and cellar while keeping the house's identity intact. The Brunello, and above all the Riserva made only in the finest years, are among Italy's longest-lived wines, capable of spanning a century.