Storia
The Corsi family’s beginnings
In the early 1950s, Giovanni Corsi, Edward Corsi’s grandfather, began searching for land with suitable characteristics for growing Sangiovese. He found Campo del Prete, a parcel close to the Abbey of Sant’Antimo. Edward later worked alongside Giovanni and his grandmother Idolina, a native of Montalcino remembered both as the first person to offer private tourist accommodation in the town and for making the local fried speciality donzelline. From them, Edward learned an approach centred on knowledgeable cultivation and respect for the land.
1997: the estate takes shape
In 1997, with his grandmother’s help, Edward bought a 2 ha holding. Through an opportunity offered to young producers by the Consorzio del Brunello, 1.5 ha were allocated to Brunello di Montalcino and 0.5 ha to Rosso di Montalcino. The acquisition allowed Edward to begin developing an independent production project while revitalising the old Campo del Prete vineyard.
Edward’s partnership with Alessandra Marzocchi, an agronomist with experience in Chianti Classico, led to the creation of the business and the expansion of the estate through the acquisition of land at San Prospero.
2005: La Sorgente and the winery
The La Sorgente vineyard was planted in spring 2005, and the Poggio Rubino winery was built in the same year. Agronomist Massimo Achilli and oenologist Fabio Signorini joined Edward and Alessandra, working alongside them to refine grape-growing decisions and the transformation of the grapes. The family committed substantial investment, resources and energy to turn the original personal ambition into an operating wine estate.
2010: an inaugural family occasion
In 2010, Dr Franco Biondi Santi, a close friend of Idolina, attended Poggio Rubino’s inaugural celebration, remembered by the family as its “inaugural applause.”
Terroir
The 15 ha estate lies on the hills above Montalcino, approximately 3 km from the town centre. Its principal property at La Sorgente reaches 470 m above sea level, while its vineyards occupy distinct parts of the Montalcino territory between 350 and 470 m. Differences in elevation, position, soils and Sangiovese plant material give each site a distinct profile.
Campo del Prete lies above the Abbey of Sant’Antimo at 380 m. Its south-eastern position receives sun throughout the day until sunset. Mediterranean scrub surrounds the vineyard, and the site is free of fog. Its soil is marly.
The small farm vineyard below Montalcino sits at 430 m on a gently sloping, well-ventilated mid-slope. It receives sun throughout the day until sunset. Rock fragments and marl provide drainage; the soil is predominantly calcareous with a meaningful silt component associated with vigorous vegetation.
Bogatto occupies a south-west-facing site at 350 m, enclosed by heather, oaks, cork oaks and strawberry trees. The setting tends to remain dry, helping the grapes remain healthy through harvest. Its soils are rich, marly and notably rocky.
San Prospero lies at 430 m on Montalcino’s south-western flank, at the beginning of the road from Tavernelle to Camigliano. Its pebbly soil contains a good proportion of tuff and a somewhat higher clay component. The clay improves water retention and supports vine hydration during summer heat.
La Sorgente surrounds the Poggio Rubino property at 470 m with a south-western exposure. Constant wind in every season, together with the loose-bunched SG5 clone, improves ventilation and inhibits fungal disease during the vine’s growth cycle. The pebbly soil contains a good percentage of clay and is described as suitably fertile. From the tasting room, the valley view extends across trees and vineyards towards the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Vinificazione
The estate covers 15 ha, of which 7 ha are vineyards planted entirely to selected Sangiovese. The vines averaged approximately ten years of age when the vineyard profile was prepared, with the newest plantings identified at San Prospero in 2005.
Cultivation is carried out manually. Vineyard work includes careful cane selection during pruning, shoot selection and bunch thinning at the beginning of veraison. These operations maintain vegetative balance, distribute the crop and encourage complete bunch ripening. The target is 1–1.5 kg of grapes per vine, concentrating each plant’s energy into a limited number of bunches and seeking higher concentrations of sugars and polyphenols. Maximum yield is 50–60 quintals/ha, equivalent to 5–6 t/ha.
Chemical herbicides are rejected in favour of working the soil. Crop protection is limited in both quantity and type, with only copper and sulphur identified. Ripening is monitored vineyard by vineyard through at least weekly grape sampling, must analysis, organoleptic assessment of berries and evaluation of phenolic maturity. Particular attention is paid to flavonoids, anthocyanins and tannins, including not only their quantities but their extractability, so that the potential of each site can guide vinification.
Harvest timing varies with vineyard elevation, position, soil and Sangiovese clone. The extended harvest window can begin in late September and continue to mid-October. Grapes are cut strictly by hand with secateurs and placed in crates.
Ripening is followed separately across the vineyards with at least weekly grape samples, must analysis, sensory examination of the berries and close monitoring of phenolic maturity and extractability. Because elevation, position, soil and Sangiovese clones produce different ripening schedules, harvest may run from late September to mid-October. Grapes are hand-cut with secateurs and collected in crates.
Vinification begins with gentle destemming designed to avoid tearing stems and seeds while keeping skins intact and preserving their original aromas and flavours. Grapes from each vineyard are vinified separately in stainless-steel vessels. Maceration lasts 20–30 days with extended skin-and-must contact at a controlled 26–28°C.
As the must warms and alcoholic fermentation begins, frequent daily pump-overs are used to manage the extraction of tannins and colour. Open-air délestage is performed during maceration to introduce an appropriate amount of oxygen, improve the extraction of tannins and anthocyanin pigments, and encourage fresher, more elegant aromas. The extended extraction is intended to support Brunello’s long ageing potential and stability over time.
After alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentation begins spontaneously. Depending partly on cellar temperature, it may last from several weeks to several months. By converting malic acid to lactic acid, it softens the wine, lowers acidity, provides natural stability and contributes depth, complexity and elegance.
Filosofia
Poggio Rubino presents wine as inseparable from daily family life among the vineyards and barrels. Edward Corsi and Alessandra Marzocchi frame their work as a lifelong commitment to living on and from Montalcino’s land, with quality rooted in stewardship, care and respect for both place and family.
The production approach combines tradition with modern oenological methods. Vineyard parcels are treated as distinct expressions of their locations, and separate vinification preserves those differences. Low yields, manual work, restrained crop-protection inputs and close phenolic monitoring aim to let Sangiovese reach its full oenological potential, including in difficult vintages. Fabio Signorini’s work with the family has focused on building a house profile that respects the characteristics of Sangiovese.