Does size matter? It’s an ongoing debate that perhaps has more critical underpinnings than it’s application to things vinous, but even the world of wine isn’t immune to the argument.
I hear it all the time. Overhear it more aptly. At trade events, between aisles in wine shops, in online wine forums, and often with an air of pontification: “I only like wines from small producers. They’re more honest, more artisan. The large producers aren’t craftsmen, they produce generic wine.” To this let me offer a resounding: “Hooey!”
There is nothing wrong with enjoying wines from small producers. I cherish many wines made in small quantity myself. However, I often hear these assertions made not positively in favor of the aforementioned, but negatively toward the wines of large producers.
For instance, someone remarked to me recently that “smaller Brunello producers closer to Montalcino are the true producers and that the larger producers in the southern part of the zone don’t make great Brunello.” Although he didn’t mention it, the implication was clear. The reason they don’t is because they can’t due to their size.
The producers he cited bottle about 5,000 cases of Brunello per year on average. Small enough, but his assertion that larger producers can’t make great wine is simply false. Most sane wine lovers the world over will not debate the relative quality of Bordeaux. Fair assertion yes? Let’s consider the average annual case production of the five First Growths.
First Growth Average Case Production
Latour: 18,000 cases
Lafite: 25,000 cases
Mouton: 20,000 cases
Margaux: 13,000 cases
Haut Brion: 12,000 cases
Would the French consider these wines not artisan, not of great quality? Most wine lovers would still argue today that these estates originally set the standard for wine quality the world over and continue to do so. Is it no coincidence that French winemakers are paid to consult from Italy to the US to South America? But back to Brunello…..
I hear often that Antinori and Castello Banfi are too large to devote the attention required to make great wine. I’m not sure if it’s jealousy, insecurity or simply stupidity that’s surfacing with these remarks, but they’re clearly misplaced. Of course these companies are large. Of course they make lots of wine. They own lots of land! The scale on which they produce excellent wine is impressive enough. However, how vast is that scale?
Antinori produces almost 100,000 cases of wine per year. That’s restricted to wines that fall under the “Antinori” label alone and includes all wines at every price point. However, consider these numbers:
Artisan Antinori
Tignanello: 30,000 cases
Solaia: 7,000 cases
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a negative review for Tignanello. Are all of those reviewers, myself included by the way, somehow out of our heads? The production here is not much greater in volume than Lafite or Mouton, and there is no “second label” of Tignanello. Solaia is one of the most sought after wines in the world. Not in Italy, in the world. Yet it’s production is barely 50% of many of the First Growths. Antinori not artisan?
People often lose track of the undercurrent. Wine is a business and it needs to be profitable. For Antinori to take the artisan, craftsmen, detail oriented approach in making Solaia – the strict grape selection, the extended aging that mandates a longer time to market, the newest most expensive barrels, it takes other product to generate revenue to allow those decisions to happen. Wineries need cash flow, no matter how romantic it may seem to think otherwise.
 |
| ~ Ask the Japanese if Size Matters: 16″ Guns aboard the USS New Jersey ~ |
Castello Banfi is the largest producer of Brunello in Italy. No one comes close to their annual case production. Or do they? Many who favor smaller production wines champion Castello Banfi as the poster child for mass produced Brunello. Yet their estate Brunello consistently receives scores of 90+ and is widely available and affordable. Is this a bad thing? And like Antinori, Castello Banfi has the ability to devote minute attention to crafting some exceptional wines. Marinate……..
Castello Banfi US Imports
Estate Brunello: 14,000 cases
Poggio Alle Mura: 300 cases
Poggio All’Oro: 200 cases
Summus: 500 cases
The estate Brunello is large for sure, but it’s directly comparable to the five First Growths and worldwide production mirrors the aforementioned Tignanello. The contrast becomes stark when comparing the production numbers for the single vineyard Poggio Alle Mura and the Riserva Poggio All’Oro – a wine which is routinely considered among the best Brunello in Italy. When adding Summus to the mix, the three wines combined have case production far less than many of Napa Valleys “Cult/Boutique” Cabernets. Wines, which by the way, typically cost 2-3 times what the Castello Banfi wines command. But where does Castello Banfi stack among other Brunello’s imported to the US?
Brunello Imports to the US
Altesino Montosoli: 2,500 cases
Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova: 4,480 cases
Poggio Antico Altero: 1,100 cases
Antinori Pian delle Vigne: 12,000 cases
Fuligni: 2,080 cases
Castelgiocondo: 12,000 cases
 |
| ~ Small, Medium, & Large Barrels at Le Ragnaie, Montalcino ~ |
So what is large then? Consider….
Random US Producers
Robert Mondavi: 350,000 cases
Stag’s Leap: 130,000 cases
Chateau St. Michelle: 2,000,000 cases
Although these numbers are large, I doubt anyone would have issue with the quality of Mondavi’s Reserve Cabernet, or Stag’s Leap Cask 23 and the way that wine turned the French upside down. Nor do I think people would quarrel much with what Chateau St. Michelle has meant to Washington State.
So if you haven’t guessed by now, I’d argue that size doesn’t matter. The devil is in the details, the proof is in the bottle. Wine is supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to be enjoyed with family and friends at the table. It’s supposed to bring people together and slow life down. I support wineries that are both small and large. If they have one thing in common, it’s that they’re all run by good people. That’s what matters. That, is the true shibboleth.
In vino veritas…..
John, firstly I would very much agree with your basic premise that both large and small producers can make great wine, and that small does not necessarily = good and big does not necessarily = bad. That is surely indisputable..
However, there are some points here that I would differ with, particularly on the Brunello issue. The comment you refer to at the beginning looks like it could be a paraphrase of something I said. The point is not so much about size of producer, as location. The northern part of the zone, around the town itself is cooler and has mostly higher altitude vineyards, with sandier soils which tend to produce more classic,elegant and complex Brunellos, and it just so happens that that area is also where most of the smaller producers are based, who also tend to mostly be more traditionally minded and age their Brunellos in large botti. The hotter, generally lower altitude vineyards with denser soils in the southern parts of the zone tend to produce more powerful, full bodied and less subtle wines, and here most of the bigger producers are based, and indeed some were responsible for extending the zone further south. These producers are also often more likely to age their wine in barrique,aiming for an international style and export market. Large quantities will go to the States, where there is demand for big sweet oaky wines, although interestingly a number of producers have retreated from using barriques as international demand seems to have shifted somewhat towards more distinct regional, terroir driven wines with less extraction and new oak influence. Many of the smaller producers would argue that the zone has extended too far, where the terroir is less suitable for Sangiovese, simply because of the money and power the larger firms have. There is of course, plenty of room, and a market, for different styles and approaches, I do think some of the larger producers are excellent (Col d'Orcia, Il Poggione, Mastrojanni) but I think most (not all) of the best Brunellos are from smaller northern producers My personal favourites are Fuligni, Il Marroneto, Baricci, Paradiso di Manfredi.
I do also think Sangiovese, especially in Montalcino, is more likely to be better from small production. You cite the First growths of Bordeaux and Napa Valley Cabernets as proof of both large production and great quality, but the difference there is that Cabernet and Merlot are great survivor grapes that grow well almost anywhere. Sangiovese on the other hand, is temperamental, fickle, difficult, site sensitive, more like Pinot Noir. Cabernet is grown successfully throughout the world and makes good wines pretty much anywhere, whereas great Sangiovese, despite the efforts of many, is almost entirely confined to a few select areas of Tuscany (and maybe 1 or 2 spots in Umbria) Sangiovese just does not tend to do well in mass production. look at the mediocre quality of mass produced supermarket Chianti, for example. Cabernet on the other hand is a hardy survivor that adapts well to different terroir and climate and can succeed better on a larger scale.
Taking the example of your beloved Banfi, I have never tasted their Poggio alle Mura, but in my opinion, their regular Brunello, produced in huge numbers, is one of the weakest on the market and pretty poor compared to many others. Tuscany experts like Kerin o'Keefe and Nicolas Belfrage would say the same. If small v large production doesn't make a difference then why are their smaller production single vineyard wines rated so much higher than their standard Brunello? In fact, if small production doesn't increase potential quality, why bother with single vineyard special selection wines at all?
On a more general big v small argument, I do think small producers offer things large producers can't: a more personal connection and direct involvement of the owner or winemaker to the land, and the product, and more of a sense of place, and distinctive specific terroir in the wines.
Hi Adam,
First of all, let me just say that while you and I have discussed this issue in the past, it was not your comment specifically that I was referring to. I want that to be clear in case you felt slighted. Regardless, that was surely not my intention.
Your last paragraph is a good point and well taken. And that's just simply a matter of scale. The last time I was in Napa, I visited a tiny winery, toured the vineyards with the winemaker, her Dad, and Uncle and then went back to her parents house for tastings and lunch! That would never have been possible had I visited something like Mondavi. So of course, there are positives and negatives to each issue.
And your general statements about closer to town versus farther south are accurate as well. I don't take isue with them and in fact, I appreciate wines from both types of producers located throughout the zone.
My main point of the article is exactly what you agree with in your first paragraph and in my closing one. Both can make great wines and nothing is guaranteed. You have to taste and let the wines speak.
Knowing the folks at Banfi as I do, I can say that their intention with their estate Brunello was to do it on vast scale. To "bring Brunello to the world" so to speak and allow the market for the wines to be broadened. It may not be the best Brunello, but it is consistently well made. The PaM and PaO are different wines and clearly artisan in their crafting. And yes, site specific.
To answer your last point on site selection – I think it's two fold. There are certain single vineyard wines where the site is excellent – Altesino's Montesoli and Cerretalto for example. This is something that the winemaker has identified and tried to capture. They are special wines.
Then there are single vineyard wines made on a whim to capture the higher premium that these wines command. It seemed 4 or 5 years ago, almost every estate was creating a single vineyard wine. Many are no better. (Mocali's Raunate) for example or the one by La Rasina.
So in the end I think we agree. Excellent wines can be made regardless of size or location in the zone. Whether they appeal to one's taste is the ultimate conundrum wine enthusiasts debate – subjectivity.
Cheers!
Thanks John, don't worry I didn't feel slighted but felt the need to respond as t was something similar to what I may have said, so wanted to clarify my view of things.
I think we are mostly agreed. There is no doubt that I naturally gravitate towards the small to medium sized producers, I love the whole personal story and passion of a family or individual, and putting a 'face to a name' rather than a big corporate operation. Montalcino to me, is all about that personal connection, with so many good small to medium sized producers.
Of course, it's harder for the small guys too. Big companies obviously have more resources, more of an advertising budget, international promotion, enter their wines in more tastings and get more critical attention and coverage. Some big name wines become a brand with a reputation that goes before it, so people have almost rated it before tasting, and it's almost like no one dares say otherwise. the name can also set the price disproportionately high, because of demand. Personally I feel Tignanello is overpriced, it's a good wine but not spectacular imo, but the 'brand' pushes the price up.
Now I know far far less about Bordeaux, but didn't the First Growth classifications date back to 1855? Those Chateaux would bear little resemblance to the big brands they are today, and yet their reputation and status is forever sealed, it seems. very hard for small producers to compete with that with far less resources and exposure, although obviously they have far less output to sell.
They also have more power of course. The small producers of Montalcino understandably resent the fact that the votes in the Consorzio are based on number of hectares owned, so the big boys weld most of the power, although thankfully many of them respect the terroir and traditions of the area enough to prevent changes to the regulations to allow blending, for example.
I think you are right about some single vineyard wines, like 'Riserva' it can just be a way of creating a premium priced wine without the extra quality or distinction to back it up. I think some producers make a single vineyard cru instead of a Riserva, as there was a trend in the past with some producers in Montalcino (and in Chianti Classico) to just basically release the same wine aged for an extra year, call it Reserva and slap on an extra £20! But as you say, those single vineyard wines are also variable and some are more special than others.
I agree about Altesino's Montosoli although it is very expensive, especially compared to Baricci's Brunello which is 100% Montosoli but, in typical modest fashion for this charming family, not aggressively marketed as such, either in the labelling or the pricing, which is about half the price of Altesino's Montosoli, and just as good.
Il Marroneto's Madonna delle Grazie is another example of the single vineyard making a real difference, it has much more power and intensity than the basic bottling and needs much more bottle age.
Col d'Orcia's Poggo al Vento and Mastrojanni's Scieno d'Asino are 2 others whch stand out.
Like anywhere, it's more important to know your producer, in terms of those that are good and reliable, whether big or small, and as you say,most importantly, whose wines one personally likes best. 'Know your producer' is more important than following too many generalisations about vintage, region or size.
Great to discuss these things.
Cheers John
Great indeed my friend, and well said. I can't improve on that – especially your lists of the Single Vineyard wines that make an impact. I've had them all at one point or another. Baricci is great – love them and their wines.
And I'd add Banfi's Poggio All'Oro to the mix as well – a true Riserva and a single vineyard. Albeit, not a cheap wine by any stretch.
Salute!
John just out of interest, have you ever tried La Gerla's Brunello? They are based near Fuligni and Manfredi, but have some vineyards there and also some in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, and they blend grapes from both areas for their Brunello. I recently bought 2 bottles of 2001, but yet to try it.
I have once many years ago – the 1995 I think – and wasn't that impressed. I've not seen them much around since.