Biondi-Santi Riserva 40 Years Apart

Nick Jackson, MW | December 10, 2024

Biondi-Santi and Brunello di Montalcino are almost synonymous; the reputation of the winery almost as great as that of the region it single-handedly created. The production of the first Brunello di Montalcino can be dated back to 1888, when Ferrucio Biondi-Santi created an ageworthy red from his Tenuta Greppo estate, at the top of the Montalcino hill.

Thus started the production of one of Italy's great reds, and ever since, the Biondi-Santi family has led the qualitative way. In 2016 the estate finally left family ownership, shortly after the death (at 91) of Franco Biondi-Santi in 2013. Franco's first vintage was 1970, and over the next 40 years, he was responsible for some of the greatest Tuscan wines.

We are delighted to offer the 'bookend' vintages to Franco's work: the glorious 1970 Riserva and the modern legend, the 2013 Riserva. At different stages in their long lives, both wines are testimony to the beauty and complexity Franco succeeded in coaxing out of his vines, and an object lesson in the brilliance of this terroir.