Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Teatro Riserva 2020

The Teatro Riserva 2020 is a cool-grown Brunello of pure Sangiovese that draws its density from contour rather than power. Ripe cherry and dark berries sit alongside violet and dried herbs, with spice, leather and undergrowth behind them.

The Teatro vineyard lies at 520 metres above sea level, faces south, and is the coolest and latest-ripening of the estate's three single vineyards; Sabine Eichbauer calls it her favourite. The vines root into marl soil 60 to 80 million years old, calcareous marne soils. Montalcino lies 35 kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea: the Mediterranean climate brings the grapes to full ripeness, while the altitude preserves acidity.

Sangiovese without blending; nothing else grows on Podere Salicutti's 4.5 hectares. Harvesting and selection are done by hand, grape by grape; cellar master Gianni Fabbri oversees an annual production of 15,000 to 20,000 bottles, and the Brunello ages for a long time in wood.

Dry, dense and taut, with juicy cherry fruit, fine-grained tannin and lively acidity. The finish stays long and markedly mineral.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina, wild boar ragù with pappardelle, herb-crusted rack of lamb, braised ossobuco, truffle dishes or aged Pecorino di Pienza.

In 1996, Podere Salicutti was Montalcino's first certified organic estate; since 2022 the Eichbauer family has farmed entirely biodynamically under Demeter guidelines, and the label carries the Demeter logo. The estate belongs to respekt-BIODYN, an association of 36 European winegrowers. This purity of Sangiovese has been called the "Holy Grail of Sangiovese purity".