~ The vinification area at Il Poggione is full of sparkling stainless steel vats ~
Approximately 10 miles south of Montalcino, near the tiny hamlet of Sant’ Angelo in Colle, lies the pristine estate of Tenuta Il Poggione. Since 1964, the estate has been under the direction of the Franceschi family and the watchful winemaking eye of Alessandro Bindocci.
Tenuta Il Poggione covers a total of 530 hectares of which a total of 140 hectares are planted with vineyards. It is one of the largest estates in Montalcino. Il Poggione’s vineyards benefit from a wide range in elevation. The lowest lying vineyards are 500 feet above sea level while the highest rises just short of 1,500. As a result, Bindocci enjoys great flexibility in ripening and harvesting that few producers possess.
The last vintage of Rosso di Montalcino I reviewed was the 2012. As enjoyable as that was, I think the most recent vintage is more impressive.
~ Bindocci employs many sizes of barrels in the aging cellar in order to treat each wine uniquely depending upon the vintage character ~
The 2019 Il Poggione Rosso di Montalcino is a medium ruby in the glass with violet highlights and a faint iodine ring. Fresh flowers, bright cherry notes and spices mark the enjoyable nose. Juicy, fresh and vibrant on the palate with flavors of crushed cherry, zippy acidity, black pepper and tobacco leaf. With some additional air time, the wine plumped up noticeably. That bodes well for the vintage and I would decant this for an hour the next time I open it. This is a different style than the Piancornello I reviewed last week but it’s equally fresh.
Like his 2012, Bindocci aged this wine in both large French cask and barrique to manage the vintage and gain some complexity in the wine. I’m a fan. 90 points. Find this wine and Support Tuscan Vines.
~ Like the Piancornello 2019, this is another impressive effort ~
The string of 2019 Rosso di Montalcino reviews will continue. The next wine coming is the Fattoria dei Barbi. These reviews are juxtaposed interestingly against the backdrop of my earlier commentary on Rosso di Montalcino. As discussed there, Rosso di Montalcino appears to be a solid “play” when vintages are excellent to optimal. The only catch to address then, is the relative value; both directly for the quality of the wine and indirectly versus its competitors. I’ll break it down as best I can.
Stay tuned as we dive deeper into this next great Tuscan vintage. There’s plenty of 2019 Chianti Classico data points coming as well. Salute!
