Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Piaggione 2018

A powerful, darkly spiced Brunello in which the fruit accompanies rather than leads. The wines from Piaggione fit the image of the iron fist in a velvet glove: a distinctive, opulent nature paired with balance and depth. 14.0% vol., dry.

The Piaggione single vineyard covers 1.2 hectares and lies at the foot of the cantina, facing east-southeast, at 420 to 450 metres above sea level. The limestone soils are rich in skeleton, resting on marl bedrock 60 to 80 million years old. A change in elevation divides the vineyard into two parcels, planted in 1994 and 2007.

Pure Sangiovese, hand-selected. Winemaker Gianni Fabbri vinifies exclusively Sangiovese at the estate, producing 15,000 to 20,000 bottles a year. Since 2022, the Eichbauer family has worked biodynamically according to Demeter standards.

The attack is fleshy and full of umami, joined by subtly toasted notes and a tannin that gives the wine its bite: fine-grained, low-slung, almost chewable. Black cardamom and pepper fill the spice box, while tobacco and leather add depth. Large glasses are essential at this stage, and it's worth taking the time for contemplative enjoyment.

Hare braised in red wine with bay leaf, thyme and creamy polenta, pan-fried grey mullet "hunter's style" with red wine, mushrooms, speck and parsley, and, for a vegetarian option, grilled aubergine gnocchi with ricotta salata.

Francesco Leanza cleared the land in 1994; in 1996, Podere Salicutti became the first winery in Montalcino to receive organic certification. The soils of the vines planted in 1994 have never come into contact with conventional pesticides. Sabine and Felix Eichbauer have run the estate since 2015, and since 2022 have been members of the respekt-BIODYN association, alongside 36 European winegrowers.