Montalcino and the undeclared cru San Polo

Although it is not officially recognized, Montalcino is full of subzones that are a step above the others, like the area of San Polo. 

One of the mysteries about Montalcino is an idiosyncrasy of the producers’ association, which is otherwise amazing, to not discuss the individual areas that compose the zone and the cru that represent a peculiarity for the appellation . In fact, only a few producers publically discuss this argument and this is understandable considering the association is composed of all producers. Their official position is that Montalcino and its Brunello are one in the same and cannot be separated and any diversification would only create confusion.

This in turn would make sense if these same producers did what they did many years ago and produced only two wines (aside from the red): Brunello and, in the better years, Riserva without any further specifications. However, the facts show otherwise: in Montalcino the term Riserva is being replaced by the names of the vineyards or the particular selections  of the individual producers. This could be seen as schizophrenic but it does have its own logic, even if it is a bit questionable and disheartening for we wine lovers: profit. The reasoning is this: making a Riserva ties up capital as well as demands special care of the wine for an additional year whereas in its place a wine can be made with the name of the best vineyard or a selection of a producer’s best grapes and have it can come out a year earlier at the same price as a Riserva if not more. However, this risks creating confusion for the consumer who does not know if the vineyard is, indeed, in the best or just a name given to it by the estate. Over the years the number of these wines has multiplied  and now it is rare for an estate to produce just Brunello.

I apologize for such a long introduction but it was necessary. Montalcino, in fact, is full of subzones  some of which are historic while others are more modern, in the sense that they were acquired after the 1990s when the vineyard land of Montalcino was expanded. Both have particularly incredible characteristics that become evident during the tastings offered by the producers’ association. A case in point is the subzone we look at here, a very well-suited area, an authentic cru that has improved in leaps and bounds over the past 15 years: San Polo . This is also the name of the estate but this is not unusual and occurs in other parts of Montalcino, for example in Sesta, another very favorable zone that has ancient roots.

Travelling from Montalcino towards Castelnuovo dell’Abate, after crossing the upland, to the left is the Tenuta Il Greppo Biondi-Santi estate. Continuing onwards to the left is a dirt road leading to Fattoria Dei Barbi and then, after the Brunello Museum, and when to the right are the signs for Gianni Brunelli and Podere Salicutti, begins the subzone of San Polo. This first part, being the more interior one, produces wines with stronger tannins but they already have a good acidity, elegance and a juicy progression. For sure the producer’s style can emphasis one quality over another but the territorial personality is one of flavorful wines with a nice acidity and balance.  This initial area has only a slightly higher amount of clay than the more western side and produce tannins that are a bit less subtle.

Climbing higher you arrive at the heart of the cru which opens towards the Val d’Orcia (even if the closest river is the Asso). To the right is the San Paolino  estate, down the road is the San Polo estate (owned by the Allegrini family)  and to the left are the vineyards of the Val di Suga estate (Bertani Domains)  which mark the star of the Poggio al Granchio subzone . This enclave in its current state was created by a Roman, Mario Calzolari, who was the first to recognize the great potential of this zone when he and his wife acquired the San Polo estate which was later sold to the Allegrini family. Here the marl in the soil is very thin and the whole area is subject to a light breeze which is healthy for the grapes. The wines produced are elegant with less tannins and a higher acidity while the phenolic aspect is always excellent . These are wines with a very intriguing elegance and compactness.

The following tasting notes are of the best Brunello 2012 from this young yet consolidated cru.

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