Biondi Santi Sassoalloro Toscana 2015

Perhaps no name in Montalcino rings louder or carries more weight than Biondi Santi. The famed family is now on their seventh generation of winemakers and has at no point slowed down their dominance in producing the purest (and many would say best) expressions of Sangiovese Grosso.

To say they are steeped in tradition would be an understatement. Generations before Jacopo, the family forever cemented their legacy in Italian wine – by essentially inventing Brunello. With over 200 years experience making Brunello – they also have their own proprietary Sangiovese clone – BBS11 – another secret to the family’s success.

But tradition only takes you so far– it’s the ones who buck trends and take the largest leaps who make the biggest splash. But many were still surprised when Jacopo began searching outside of Montalcino for a ‘better place’ to grow the family’s famed Sangiovese.

It took 10 years, but finally found the spot and purchased 1,300 acres (530 hectares) as well as an 11th century castle named Castello di Montepò, in Southern Tuscany– in what is now the scorching hot region Maremma.

At the time, the land was mostly used for grain and close to a thousand sheep. Just one hectare was used for grape cultivation but Jacopo knew what the land could produce with his precious BBS11 Sangiovese.

“This terroir has microclimates. It’s a Romanée Conti. Here are many slopes, like a little Montalcino, but 100 kilometers south and 15 kilometers [nine miles] from the sea.” Jacobo told Forbes magazine.