Fine Wine: The Pinnacle of Sangiovese - Brunello di Montalcino 2020 Horizontal

Join us for a very special evening as wine school founder Jimmy Smith hosts Carlotta Salvini from the consorzio of Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany showcasing the 2020 vintage. This tasting will be a fascinating insight into the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG discovering its rich history and culture and all its grapegrowing and winemaking factors.

Brunello is the pinnacle of what the Sangiovese grape can achieve and is a global touchstone for the variety – and great red wines in general. The evening will feature nine hand-selected Brunello wines, all made from Sangiovese, as chosen by the head of the Brunello di Montalcino Consorzio and Jimmy Smith, to reflect the diversity that is crafted in this iconic part of Tuscany.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

One of Italy's (and the world's) greatest wines, Brunello di Montalcino is a small wine region in southern central Tuscany, producing particularly impressive wines from the Brunello grape – a local strain of Sangiovese. In Tuscany, its homeland, it ranks alongside Chianti Classico. On global markets, it seems to command even greater attention.

DOCG regulations require Brunello vineyards to be planted on hills with good sun exposure. Fortunately, the climate in Montalcino is one of the warmest and driest in Tuscany. Achieving full ripeness is consequently a rarely encountered problem for Brunello's grape growers. Naturally, microclimates vary between the different vineyard sites depending on their exposure. Grapes grown on the northern slopes tend to ripen more slowly, resulting in racier styles of wine. On the southern and western slopes, however, the grapes are exposed to more intense sunlight and cool maritime breezes, resulting in more complex and powerful wine styles. Top Brunello producers tend to own vineyards on all of the finest terroirs. This allows them to create base wines of both styles and to use those to create a blend in their desired style.

Wineries represented on tasting (9 in total, all wines 2020 vintage):

• Donatella Cinelli Colombini
• Castiglion del Bosco
• Lambardi
• Belpoggio
• Ventolaio
• Fornacina
• Mastrojanni
• Voliero
• Mocali