2016 Rosso di Montalcino, Luciani, Tuscany, Italy

Cantina Luciani

The Luciani family has been farming their five-hectare estate for six generations. Their northwest-facing vineyards are perched on the mid-slope of Montalcino at 350 metres’ altitude. Their Sangiovese vines are gown on some of the region’s most distinctive terroir, with calcareous marine fossils and clay, which gives the wines prowess and vivid minerality, further benefited by the spot’s cooler exposure. Tradition is paramount for the Luciani family, who together with winemaker Massimo Bracalente create styles of Brunello which are elegant and express a true sense of place.

Rosso di Montalcino

Rosso di Montalcino is a large Tuscan DOC, to the far south of the Chianti Classico region, which  has been classified since 1983. 

The wines are fruity, soft, light and forward-maturing. They come from Sangiovesse vines outside the finer Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, harvested at up to 62 hl/ha, or from declassified Brunello fruit (often from young vines) in which case the yield must be the same as Brunello wines, at 55 hl/ha.

Sangiovese

A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.

It is a high yielding, late ripening grape that performs best on well-drained calcareous soils on south-facing hillsides. For years it was blighted by poor clonal selection and massive overcropping - however since the 1980s the quality of Sangiovese-based wines has rocketed upwards and they are now some of the most sought after in the world.

It produces wines with pronounced tannins and acidity, though not always with great depth of colour, and its character can vary from farmyard/leather nuances through to essence of red cherries and plums. In the 1960s the advent of Super Tuscans saw bottlings of 100% Sangiovese wines, as well as the introduction of Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blends, the most famous being Tignanello.