In the challenging 2005 vintage, Franco Biondi-Santi opted not to produce a Riserva, instead selecting the best fruit—including from older vineyard plots—for the regular Annata bottling. This focused, low-yield approach resulted in a wine of exceptional elegance for the year
Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino 2005
Biondi-Santi is one of Italy’s most historic estates and the birthplace of Brunello di Montalcino. Founded in the 19th century by Clemente Santi and developed by his grandson Ferruccio Biondi-Santi, the estate pioneered the use of a special Sangiovese clone (later called Brunello). Based at the Tenuta Greppo in Montalcino, Biondi-Santi became renowned for producing long-lived, classical Brunello marked by purity, freshness, and firm structure. Their Riserva bottlings, made only in the best vintages, are legendary for their extraordinary longevity, often aging gracefully for many decades. Today, the estate remains a benchmark for traditional, elegant Brunello di Montalcino.
Brunello di Montalcino, in southern Tuscany, is one of Italy’s most prestigious wine regions and the first to achieve DOCG status in 1980. The wines are made exclusively from Sangiovese (locally called Brunello), grown on hillside vineyards around the medieval town of Montalcino. The combination of warm Mediterranean influence, altitude, and diverse soils—limestone, clay, marl, and galestro—yields powerful yet refined reds with firm tannins, bright acidity, and remarkable aging potential. By law, Brunello must be aged a minimum of four years before release (five for Riserva), giving wines that balance richness with structure and are among the world’s most collectible expressions of Sangiovese.
