It’s almost summer holiday time and Tuscany is among the most appreciated destinations for wine, food and Italian-lifestyle lovers !

To awaken the desire, if there was any need for it, we’re suggesting a “en primeur” on this splendid cuvée that will be released just before summer on the highly acclaimed 2019 vintage.

The Estate

The Azienda Le Chiuse has a long history and was part of the possession of Biondi Santi, founder and inventor of the Brunello di Montalcino. The fruit harvested from these plots was often blended in the iconic and age worthy cuvée « Riserva Biondi Santi ».

Nowadays the winery consists of 18ha of forest, vines and olive trees on the northeastern side, and 8ha of vineyards on the South-East located at about 500m above sea level. The vineyard is entirely planted with Sangiovese Grosso and the oldest vines are around 30-year-old.

The Grape

The story of Brunello embodies man’s quest for perfection.  It begins with the discovery of a special grapevine on a steep Montalcino slope in 1842.  That vine’s subsequent propagation by its founder, Clemente Santi, resulted in the creation of the Brunello wine.

Today, Brunello is considered one of Italy’s greatest wines and a supreme example of Sangiovese at its best.  It has also become Italy’s most recognized premium wine, internationally.  With a total production of 750,000 cases (9L), 65% finds its way into the world’s finest restaurants and connoisseur wine cellars.

The Montalcino zone takes its name from the town, which sits high on a hill as a fortified citadel with commanding expansive views in all directions.  The zone encompasses 8,000 acres of vines, 4700 of which are dedicated to Brunello.   The name, Montalcino derives from the Latin, “Mons Ilcinnus”, or mountain of holm oak.  These oak trees grace the commune’s logo.  Vineyards, while extensive, only cover 15% of the land, with forests, pastures, and fields of grain making up the rest.  Indeed, Montalcino is like an elevated island amidst a sea of undulating wheat fields and pastures.  The scenic beauty of the place won it a coveted UNESCO World Heritage Site award in 2004.

Lying some 27 miles south of Siena and 27 miles east of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Montalcino enjoys a much warmer and drier climate than its Chianti Classico neighbor to the north, and Montepulciano to the east.  This, together with diverse soils (including rocky “galestro,” limestone, marl, clay, and sand) make for growing conditions which consistently ripen its finicky Sangiovese grapes earlier the either Chianti Classico or Montepulciano.

The cuvee

At Le Chiuse, harvesting generally takes place earlier than the average for the area to attain the ample acidity that enhances the elegance and verticality of the wine and benefits longevity. To attain ideal structure and volume, only small to medium sized grape bunches are used. Selected by hand, in less than a half hour they are destemmed and, by gravitational flow, deposited in stainless steel and cement fermenters. Fermentation takes place using only indigenous yeasts so that the wine retains its original characteristics of aroma and flavor. The maceration period is about 20 days, characterized by repeated pumping over and fulling for greater polyphenolic extraction. Maturation is carried out exclusively in large 30-hectoliter Slavonian oak barrels for a period of about 3 years, the aim being to allow the wine to breathe without being excessively influenced by the wood

Want to try it ?

If you are interested in trying this wine during your next flight or in the comfort of your home, please contact your JetFlo representative or email at wine@jetflo.com. Together with our partners Wine Rose we would be glad to organize this tasting experience.