Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Vigna Nastagio 2018

A Brunello from a warm, ripe year. Ruby red with garnet reflections, dense and juicy, with breadth and power, yet precisely drawn. The 15.0% ABV is noticeable but well integrated. An early-maturing wine that can already be enjoyed now.

Nastagio is the name of an old estate belonging to the Fattoria di Sant'Angelo, already recorded on the Leopoldine maps. The vineyard of the same name lies at around 220 metres above sea level on a former elevated river terrace of the Orcia basin, with the rows facing southwest. The clay soil of Pliocene origin is alkaline and among the most calcareous on the estate: 40% clay, 39% silt, 21% sand, pH 8.2. Santiago and Francesco Marone Cinzano run Col d'Orcia in the Val d'Orcia with 142 hectares of vines, 108 of which are planted to Brunello. Sheep and goats graze between the rows, while compost from the estate's own cycle nourishes the soils.

Pure Sangiovese, planted in 2006 following a strict sélection massale taken from the estate's vineyards dating back to the 1940s, the result of decades of work with the University of Florence. The must ferments for 18 to 20 days below 25 °C in low, wide 100-hl stainless steel tanks, which allow gentle extraction of tannin and colour. The wine spends its first year ageing in French tonneaux, then in botti, followed by at least twelve months in bottle.

On the nose, ripe wild berries, dried wild strawberries and dried cherries, along with roses and violets, stone and earth, camphor and incense, crème de cassis and mint, a hint of ink and tar. On the palate, juicy and spicy, with a light smoky and toasted note, liquorice and aniseed, fine-grained tannin and a savoury undertone.

In 2018, snowfall in February offset the water deficit, June and July were hot, while August remained moderate with around 25 °C and light rainfall. Harvest began in mid-September.