Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2017

A cool, racy Sangiovese with dark fruit and firm tannin: dense and full in the mouth, yet straightforward and without any heaviness.

Caroline Pobitzer and Jan Erbach have farmed six hectares around Montalcino since 1997, spread across the four vineyards Pian dell'Orino, Pian Bossolino, Scopeta and Cancello at 300 to 400 metres above sea level. The soils consist of fossilised shells and galestro; the two mapped them geologically themselves. Work follows strict biodynamic principles, pruning follows the lunar calendar, and chamomile tea replaces chemical treatments.

Pure Sangiovese Grosso. Yield reduction follows the credo one vine, one bottle. Fermentation is spontaneous in open wooden vats, ageing takes place in large casks, without oenological intervention. 14.0% vol., dry; the oak remains unobtrusively integrated in the glass.

The nose is dark: blackberry and plum, plus cassis and elderberry, a chocolatey nuance, cinnamon, juniper and delicately integrated liquorice, underscored by leather and a fine toasted note. On the palate, cool and mineral, the tannins are firm yet ripe and soft. Meaty in expression, accompanied by liquorice, with a very long finish in which the aromas from the nose return.

Rack of lamb with green beans and sweet potatoes, flank steak with potato-pumpkin mash and creamy spinach or, for a vegetarian option, caramelised parsley root with beetroot lamb's lettuce salad.

After the 2008 Brunellopoli scandal, Pobitzer and Erbach published the analytical data of their harvests. With the Sangiovese Per Amico initiative, they steer clear of official trade fairs, focusing instead on work in the vineyard.