1999 Castello Banfi POGGIO all'ORO Riserva Brunello di Montalcino DOCG - 1.5 Litre Magnum Bottle
Name:
Castello Banfi POGGIO all'ORO Riserva Brunello di Montalcino DOCG - 1.5 Litre Magnum Bottle - 1999
Where it's from:
>Italy
>Tuscany
>Brunello di Montalcino
Price per case:
£240.79
Bottle size:
1.5 Litres
Bottles per case:
1
Style:
Powerful Reds
Grapes:
Sangiovese
Description:
Aged for a total of up to four years, including a minimum of two years in oak barrels, Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino is a wine of robust character. It possesses a rich garnet colour, and a depth, complexity and opulence that is softened by an elegant, lingering aftertaste. Hints of tar, chocolate and plums, combined with the intriguing spices from the oak. A huge structure of refined tannins are woven into a fat, meaty body leaving a harmonious and lengthy finish.
In 1978 John and Harry Mariani, successful American importers, joined forces with Italy's leading enologist, Ezio Rivella; their objective was to produce top-quality wine on a scale never before attempted in Italy.
Castello Banfi is a rarity among Italian wine estates, not just because of its size (some 7,100 acres, of which around 2,400 are planted with vines), its composition of single vineyards, or its state-of-the-art winery, but because it was started from scratch a little over 25 years ago.
At that time the Mariani Brothers were looking for an estate where the climate and soil had to be ideal for the cultivation of many of the world's noble grape varieties, and it had to be within a region of Italy that already had a tradition of quality winemaking.
The 4,500 acres that the Mariani Brothers first found were near Montalcino, and eligible for the status DOCG of Brunello di Montalcino, one of the most prestigious of all Italian wines and it met the other criteria as well. By good luck the adjacent estate, of 2,600 acres, became available shortly afterwards and in 1984 the 11th century castle was the final purchase, and the estate was renamed Castello Banfi.
Today Castello Banfi is producing a wide range of wines including Brunello di Montalcino that was Italy's first wine to be accorded D.O.C.G. status, a testament to its aristocracy, balance and fabulous proclivity for ageing.
