~ The Entrance to Poggio Antico ~
As first reported by Montalcino News (www.Montalcinonews.com) the Brunello estate of Poggio Antico has been sold.
Poggio Antico, one of the most beautiful estates in Montalcino, with 200 hectares of total land divided between forests, olive groves, and vineyards, was acquired by a Belgian Investment Company.
The Belgian Atlas Investment company, which is active primarily in the energy and real estate sector, was founded in 2008 by Marcel van Poecke. Poggio Antico has been guided for over 30 years by Paola Gloder and her husband, Alberto Montefiori. They have produced one of the most renowned Brunello di Montalcino and helped to bring attention to Brunello at the international level. Ms. Gloder and Mr. Montefiori will remain with the company for some time in order to ensure a smooth transition to the new general manager; Federico Trost, who was chosen by the new ownership.
Mr. Trost will take over some 32 hectares of vineyards, 28 of which are devoted to Brunello, along with a restaurant that is part of the property.
Credits: Laura Gray contributed to this report.
Not surprised at all….others will do same thing.
Their investment got a huge return…that is all
Poggio Antico had excellent Brunello 20 years ago….when many others where just ok.
Those others meantime got better and better…with more competitive prices….at a point Poggio Antico quality and prices did not make any sense.
Reality is…on our market I have not seen Poggio Antico labels in 5 years.
I agree with you that more of this will happen. There’s going to be quite a significant changing of the guard in Italy – not just Tuscany. As 2nd or 3rd generations come to the point of ownership, if those people have no interest or the current owners have no heirs, then there is no option but to sell when they need to get out of the business. It is hard, physical work that demands long hours with little notice. Argiano, Poggio di Sotto, Vietti, Piemaggio and La Fiorita just to name a few off the top of my head have all changed hands within the past 5 or so years.
In reply to “Montosoli” (unfortunately no name, last name nor country is indicated – BTW, given that Montosoli is a location in Montalcino, do you happen to be a Brunello producer?), and for all those who may be curious in checking Poggio Antico’s most relevant ratings and awards received from 1990 till present, below is a link that might be worth reading.
http://www.poggioantico.com/english/2017_Ratings_&_Awards_e.htm
Cheers to all!
P.S.: Make sure you scroll down the page and check every link that appears.
Roger Lee
USA
Roger,
I don’t think there is any doubt about the quality of Poggio Antico’s wines. Style varies across their line, but they are always top quality. Are you in the trade?
Thanks for reading and commenting!
John
Hi John,
No, I’m not in the wine trade. I am just a sophisticated consumer and a big fan of Poggio Antico.
I know Montalcino and its wines pretty well. My family and I have visited Poggio Antico many times over the last twenty years. The last time we were there (2016) it was a Sunday, in early October. Harvest was in full swing. Some wineries were not accepting visitors, so we called Poggio Antico. They were super happy to know we were around, especially during such frantic time of the year. They told us that it was a MUST for us to go visit them. They wanted us to see the whole harvesting process first hand. We were warmly welcomed, as usual. They took us downstairs, where I counted 20 people (workers, not visitors!). All of them were busy. At least 15 of them were checking grapes on their amazing sorting tables (they have 5 of them!)… I was impressed, yet not at all surprised. This explains the consistent quality of their wines.
If you never paid them a visit, make sure you do! You can even book a tour on Christmas day or choose any other possible festivity during the year. They are always open and eager to show what they do and how they do it.
I have known Paola Gloder for many years. When I read the recent news, I dropped her a note. She reassured me that Poggio Antico is in very good hands and that time will indeed tell. I do trust her. I always did, and it paid back. Thank you, Paola!
Cheers to all,
Roger
Roger, that’s good to know and thanks for sharing that. I have to say, over the past several years that have been wineries in both Chianti and Montalcino that have changed hands. Overall, I haven’t noticed quality dip so hopefully the decisions these producers are making, as to who succeeds them, are the proper ones. If not, it will be easy to tell and people will take their business elsewhere. Plenty of Brunello to go around……
I too have very much enjoyed Poggio Antico’s wines. I can still remember the first time my wife and I tasted Altero, it was an “aha!” moment. I hope the new owners are able to continue to produce such excellent product.
Steve, the fruit sources are the same. So the variable factor is passion and dedication. We’ll see if they bring it.