CASTELLO BANFI, POGGIO ALL'ORO, BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO RISERVA

TUSCANY, ITALY 2012

As one of the largest and best known estates in Montalcino, Banfi is an Italian wine icon. Established in 1979, Banfi not only introduced many Americans to the world of Italian wine in the 70s and 80s, but as an import company, their contribution to the quality wine revolution in Tuscany has changed the landscape of winemaking in Montalcino forever. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that without Banfi, Brunello would never have become what it is today. In the 80s, in partnership with the University of Milan, Banfi took on a never-done-before research study on Sangiovese in Tuscany. This study lead to identifying over 650 different clones of Sangiovese in just the immediate surrounding area of the estate! Over the years, each clone was studied, catalogued, and microvinified separately. The big takeaway here was that the greatness of Sangiovese was in the grape’s ability to show massive complexity and variability in different terroir. Rather than pairing Sangiovese down to one super-clone, Banfi identified 15 clones that represented the best characteristics of Sangiovese based on the diverse terroir of the Montalcino.

With a renewed focus on their prestigious range of wines, the estate is at the top of their game and their future seems brighter than ever. From their humble beginnings, their wines have directly contributed to the spark that began America's love affair with Brunello, and the flagship wine, Poggio all'Oro Brunello Riserva, is the culmination of decades of research that first put Brunello on the map.

Today, we're offering the pinnacle of Banfi's production – the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 'Poggio all'Oro'. Only produced in the best vintages, the wine is sourced from the oldest vines on the estate. The "Poggio all'Oro" (golden knoll) vineyard is a single vineyard located closest to the castle, with 24 hectares of old vines that go through the most rigorous fruit selection of any vineyard on the property. The 2012 vintage is considered one of Brunello’s best vintages in recent years, winning the Consorzio’s prestigious 5-star rating. Dense and powerful, this wine is utterly delicious now and will continue to develop beautifully over the next decade. For one week, or until sold out, we're offering this stunning Brunello di Montalcino for an incredible price - don't miss the chance to add this beauty to your collection!