The last Brunello from Dr. Franco

Tasting the lastest Brunello di Montalcino Riserva from Tenuta Greppo, the last made by Franco Biondi Santi, one cannot help but remember this charismatic personality to whom the wine is dedicated.

I was able to have a preview tasting of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2012 Biondi Santi, the last made and bottled by Franco Biondi Santi a few months before he passed. It was a moving experience because I was very close to “Dr. Franco”, as everyone at the estate called him.

Franco Biondi Santi was the same age as my father and we were always very formal with each other. He was a man of great charisma and at the same time extremely kind, but he was not a push over because he had a unique determination and clarity in the way he expressed his ideas, often with a smile. All these things came to mind as I first poured and then tasted his last Brunello.

It was almost as if I could hear his voice and his opinions on what a great Brunello should be. With a long life, above all, then taut, agile, elegant, never excessive but neither lean nor too boney. Even if Il Greppo, the legendary Biondi Santi estate, is inside the district, we are still in Montalcino, an area that has always produced reds with body, tannins that can be pronounced, along with an adequate level of acidity. The best wines here, all based in Sangiovese, are like this and this was particularly true of vintage 2012 and, in particular, this spectacular Riserva.

Had Franco Biondi Santi wanted to take his final bow with a standing ovation, he could not have done it with a better wine. One that merits to be recognized as one of the best of all time, starting from 1971, the first year he personally was hands-on involved in producing Brunello. Before him there were the legendary vintages 1945, ’55, ’61, ’64 and ’70, which his father Tancredi produced.

The Riserva 2012 has a limpid and bright garnet color, which is nothing out of the ordinary. But then come the first scents, an aromatic spectrum that is already broad with initial hints of spice followed by notes of kirsch, a little black cherry, some floral notes, black tobacco and prune. The profile is undoubtedly youthful yet perfect, almost delicate, which reminded me of vintages like 1999 and, perhaps, 2006. And it was even very close to what I remember the legendary Riserva 1955 was like, which I tasted 25 years after it came out and had thus aged more. The tasting could not fulfill more every premise and promise. The tannins are evident and already nicely integrated, with a thick and velvety, multifaceted texture upheld by the right acidity that the Brunello from Il Greppo traditionally have and which makes their mouthfeel taut and agile.

I could have spat out the tasting but I couldn’t. And this not only because it is a very expensive wine, it will not retail for less than 450 euros, but because it was so damn good even if it was young. Franco would have surely scolded me: “You have plenty of time to wait, so why drink it now?”. For once, I could have answered back: “Great wines are great even when they are young, because they already allow you to understand how they will evolve”. And he would have smiled back in his paternal way.