Incrocio Bruni 54 and the Urbino countryside

Tenuta Santi Giacomo and Filippo produces its white wine only using the Incrocio Bruni 54 varietal, a hybrid developed in the 1940s by crossing Verdicchio with Sauvignon.

It would appear that Incrocio Bruni 54, a hybrid variety obtained by crossing Verdicchio with Sauvignon developed in the 1940s by the Marchegiano ampelographer Bruno Bruni, may have found a natural home in the Urbino countryside.

Rediscovered some 20 years ago by Marchigiano agronomist Giancarlo Soverchia, Incrocio Bruni 54 was a variety that had little success in the vineyard where it was cultivated by only a few winegrowers and only in the Marche region, except for some sporadic exceptions. Up until recently no one had ever limited their whole white wine production to this varietal but this has changed with Tenuta Santi Giacomo e Filippo, in the countryside outside Urbino, the Marche region’s most beautiful city.

Known among gourmet pizza lovers thanks to its Urbino dei Laghi restaurant, the estate also has a luxury Resort and a horse farm. But farming is its leading activity with the cultivation of wheat (sold to the Mancini pasta producers in Monte San Pietrangeli), barley (sold to the celebrated Baladin brewery) and grapes for wine, all in its some 360 hectares of land. Wine began to be sold to the public in 2016, while grain production began in 1996 and both cultivations are certified organic.

The estate produces two single-grape Bruni 54 white wines - Bellantonio, made in stainless steel and Bellantonio Anfora made in amphorae – as well as an excellent Marche red wine, Fortercole, a blend of mostly Sangiovese with some Merlot that makes it more Romagnolo and Tuscan in character. All the wines are impeccably made and ready to drink.  The winemaking style is technically very correct, even for the white matured in amphorae – and this could only be the case given that the winery is run by Roberto Potentini, one of the region’s best enologists – and allows for this interesting territory to speak for itself.

Thus the stage is set for Urbino to be known for its wines and this also because the estate is owned by the Bruscoli family, important entrepreneurs in the furniture sector. The family ensures both experience and vision and at the helm of the estate is Marianna Bruscoli, who not only is less than 40 but she has very clear ideas where she wants to go.

Marche Bianco Bellantonio 2016

Made from Incrocio Bruni 54 grapes and matured in stainless steel. The wine has a pale and lively straw-yellow color and clear and open aromas of citron, sweet almond, elder and a light nuance of kerosene. The mouthfeel has a bitter and very incisive acidity with a clear flavor of almond at the center of the mouth and a deep, flowing finish with notes of citron and kerosene. Very responsive.

90/100

€ 10

Marche Bianco Bellantonio Elevato in Anfora 2016

Made from Incrocio Bruni 54 grapes and matured in amphorae. The wine has an orange-straw-yellow color but is not that colorful while the splendid bouquet has notes of candied bergamot, orange blossom, chinoto orange and an infusion of mallow and linden. The mouthfeel has a medium body, is only slightly tannic and is just a tad less fresh than the previous wine, with a rather warm finish with notes of orange juice and dried fruit. Technically impeccable without any oxidation or heaviness. Although not as flowing as the version made in stainless steel, this offers a three-dimensional vision of the varietal.

91/100

€ 22

Marche Rosso Fortercole 2016

A blend of 85% Sangiovese and 15% Merlot that matures in large barrels. The wine has a dark, garnet-ruby color and an aroma that at first seems a bit limited but then reveals its earthiness with notes of tar, earth and orange peel on a background of blueberry jam. The rich mouthfeel has a juicy attack, tannins that are slightly rustic and a bitter and dry finish. An excellent wine, perhaps a tad evolved aromatically.

89/100

€ 12

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