Italiano
Banfi and its first 40 years
A major party was held at the Casa dei Cavalieri di Rodi in Rome to mark Banfi’s first 40 years with a tasting of some of their older vintage wines, including the very great Brunello Poggio all’Oro Riserva.
By Banfi we of course mean Castello Banfi in Montalcino with its branch in Piedmont in Strevi where they make their estate “bubbly”. To mark their 40th anniversary, Banfi organized a traveling party around the world which in Rome was held in a suggestive and magnificent location: the home of the Cavalieri di Rodi (Knights of Rhodes) in Piazza Grillo. Despite the alternating periods of rain and sun, Rome showed its best face offering participants a splendid view from the terrace overlooking Augusts’ Forum as they enjoyed magnums of Banfi wines and listened to the history behind them.
There were old vintages of Summus and Excelsus and some historic vintages of Brunello di Montalcino like 1980 and the first vintages of Poggio alle Mura from the early 1990s. There was also a wonderful vertical tasting of Brunello Poggio all’Oro about which we have written about but which never ceases to amaze us. The tasting was conducted by Gabriele Pazzaglia, a young front man from the winery’s technical staff.
Management was present in full force with Chairman Remo Grasso and General Manager Enrico Viglierchio as well as Ezio Rivella, who was the mastermind and executor of the Mariani project in Montalcino from the very start. The owner family was naturally present and represented by Cristina Mariani, who has led the estate for years now, and her mother Pamela. Missing was Rudy Buratti who passed away a few months ago and was the person behind the great wines we tasted.
Below are three vintages that really stood out. They are naturally 100% Sangiovese from a single vineyard, Poggio all’Oro, situated on the hills on the southern side of the municipality of Montalcino. The wine is made only in the best years and using grapes that have been meticulously selected with maceration taking place under controlled temperatures in hybrid steel and wood Horizon vats for 12-14 days. The wine then matures in barriques for two and a half years and then ages in the bottle for at least 12-18 months before being put on the market.
