For most people, owning one vineyard is sufficient. But, for the Bruna Baroncini, one winery was just the beginning. Over the past several decades, Bruna and her family have amassed a lovely portfolio of Tuscan wines. In particular, the acquisitions have focused heavily on exploring the gamut of Sangiovese’s Tuscan expressions.
Not surprisingly, Bruna Baroncini loves Sangiovese. In fact, she has a whole philosophy on how this grape variety is, in her words, “similar to managing a man,” which I’ll get to later. Fortunately, as the head of her family’s wine business, she has lots of opportunity to immerse herself in the world of Sangiovese.
In this regard, the Baroncini family has a wine producing history that spans centuries. Yet, interestingly given Bruna’s penchant for Sangiovese, they initially began making wine at Podere Torre Terza in San Gimignano, a denomination known for its whites.
From the very start, this family has had a clear division of labor; the wine is always made by the women, the men are tasked to sell the wine. Unfortunately, Bruna had to take on both sides of the business when her brother passed away. Thankfully, she is now joined by her nephew Samuele Baroncini, along with their resident enologist Nicola Berti.
Interestingly given Bruna’s penchant for Sangiovese, the family’s roots are at Podere Torre Terza in San Gimignano, an area more known for its whites than reds. Yet, the winery also produces the Sangiovese-led Chianti Colli Senesi. Building upon the family’s lengthy tenure in the industry, they have since added properties in Morellino (Fattoria Querciarossa), Chianti Classico (Casuccio Tarletti) and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Il Faggeto).
But, it is evident that the heart and soul of the company today is Poggio Il Castellare, situated on the southeast side of Montalcino. Bruna purchased the small estate property in 1998, realizing “her dream of producing Brunello, ‘the king of reds’.” Around the same time, Bruna made the acquaintance of Jonathan Shiekman of Linwood Wines, who immediately recognized their strong passion for the land and for growing the best possible grapes. Accordingly, he began bringing their wines to the U.S. Today, the wine is available at Sherry-Lehmann, BevMo, ABC Wine, Premier Wines and can be shipped to nearly any state.
While Poggio Il Castellare is not as well known as many other Brunello producers, its wines have received acclaim over the years. More specifically, in 2004, the Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino earned 96 points in Wine Spectator and proceeded to garner at least 90 points from the publication over the next 14 years. Moreover, it generally ranks among the highest in blind tastings, which is a nice distinction for a more affordable Brunello option.
And, although the Baroncini have recently expanded their wine reach to Georgia to explore this ancient wine producing country, Bruna’s heart is still connected to her beloved Sangiovese. As she waxes poetically, she expounds on her philosophy that Sangiovese’s diversity is very much like a growing man. In Morellino, the grape expresses itself as a boy, growing to young adulthood in Montepulciano, then maturing with balance and power in in Chianti Classico and finally exhibiting maturity and the potential for long life in Brunello.
Currently, Poggio Il Castellare produces four wines: two traditional wines and two modern, international wines. The traditional Rosso di Montalcino and Brunello di Montalcino are considered to be the more sophisticated, serious wines of the property. However, the other two are not to be dismissed out of hand as they each offer their own set of pleasures.
TASTING NOTES
Poggio Il Castellare Rosso di Montalcino 2018 D.O.C., Tuscany, Italy, $30.00
Produced from 100% Sangiovese, this wine is fermented solely in stainless steel and then partially (~15%) aged in wood (barriques and tonneau) and then blended together after 6 months. The wine is meant to be an easy interpretation of the area, one that is easy to drink, fruit forward and supple. Redolent of red cherries, this refreshing wine offers up medium+ acidity, good tannins, and flavors of red currant, rhubarb and slight leafy/herbal notes, culminating in very long length.
Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino 2016 D.O.C.G., Tuscany, Italy, $70.00
The 2016 is the current release, which was rated as a 5-star vintage. The wine is aged for 24 months in a blend of barriques and tonneau and then aged for an additional four months in bottle. Aromas of perfume, cherry and menthol/eucalyptus greet the nose. This dry wine displays medium+ acidity, dusty, ripe tannins, notes of tart cherry, herbs and dried herbs, with very long length. It is elegant with long aging potential.
Poggio Il Castellare Passo dei Caprioli 2019 Toscana Rosso I.G.T., Tuscany, Italy, $22.00
Taking the name capriole, which is Italian for baby deer, this blend of 70% Sangiovese Grosso and 30% Merlot, aged solely in stainless steel, was created as a very drinkable wine. Notes of plum and spices dominate the nose giving way to ripe red fruit with anise and a slight leafiness. It has medium acidity, soft tannins and a dry palate.
Poggio Il Castellare Cervio 2014 Sant’Antimo D.O.C., Tuscany, Italy, $80.00
The small denomination of Sant’Antimo is a place where wine makers can have more freedom in what grapes are grown. For Nicola, Cabernet Franc is one of his favorite varieties in the world and he welcomed the challenge of making a 100% varietal wine with it. With only 6,000 bottles produced annually, it has become a bit of a cult wine. Harvested late in October, fermented in stainless steel and aged in French barriques for two years, this is a wine that can age for 10-15 years. It was showing some development, with aromas of dried spices, thyme, dark fruits, black currant and blackberries, which persisted on the dry palate. It had medium+ acidity, beautiful, resolved tannins, elegance and very long length.
