Biondi Santi

Clemente Santi and the nineteenth-century origins

The origins of Brunello di Montalcino are linked to Clemente Santi and his nephew Ferruccio Biondi Santi. During the nineteenth century, they pursued the quality potential of Sangiovese Grosso in Montalcino, vinifying it as a single variety and combining it with extended maturation in wooden casks. Clemente introduced the underlying idea; Ferruccio developed it and became the first person to label a wine officially as Brunello di Montalcino.

1888 and 1891: the first Brunello vintages

Ferruccio produced the 1888 Riserva, identified as the first Brunello di Montalcino in history. Its grapes probably included fruit from Scarnacuoia. Two bottles of this vintage remain in the estate collection. The wine was topped up and recorked in 1927, 1970 and 1985.

The 1891 Riserva was the second Brunello. It was probably sourced from vines at Tenuta Greppo and Scarnacuoia, material that would ultimately contribute to the estate’s selection of Sangiovese Grosso and the development of the BBS11 clone. Five bottles of the 1891 remained in the cellar when its historical entry was prepared. It underwent topping-up and recorking in 1927, 1970 and 1985.

Tancredi Biondi Santi: continuity through two world wars

Ferruccio died in 1917. In the aftermath of the First World War, his son Tancredi Biondi Santi assumed responsibility for the tradition. The 1925 Riserva was Tancredi’s first Riserva; three bottles remained in the cellar when its historical entry was prepared. It was topped up and recorked in 1970 and 1985.

Tancredi’s 1945 Riserva, made in the aftermath of the Second World War, was his second Riserva after 1925. Further Riservas followed in 1946 and 1951. The historical wines of this period were probably sourced from Tenuta Greppo and Scarnacuoia and were matured for four years in Slavonian oak before long bottle ageing.

Franco Biondi Santi and the BBS11 selection

Franco Biondi Santi took the helm of Tenuta Greppo in 1970. The 1971 was the first Riserva produced under his direction. During the 1970s, Biondi-Santi identified and selected its proprietary Sangiovese Grosso clone at Tenuta Greppo. Named BBS11—Brunello Biondi Santi 11—the clone was formally recognized in 1978.

The 1982 Riserva was released in 1988 with a commemorative label marking one hundred years since the first Brunello, the 1888 Riserva. The 1985 Riserva was released in 1991 with another special label, this time commemorating the centenary of the 1891 Riserva.

Rosso di Montalcino and the centennial tasting

The estate’s younger red was originally known as Biondi-Santi Brunello “White Label.” It became Rosso di Montalcino in 1983, when the Rosso di Montalcino DOC was established.

In 1994, Franco organized the Centennial Tasting, opening Riservas spanning the 1888–1988 vintages. He regarded the 1891 as the benchmark against which subsequent Riservas should be measured. The tasting was also the last recorded occasion on which an estate bottle of the 1888 Riserva was opened. In 2009, a bottle of the 1891 was opened for the sixtieth wedding anniversary of Franco and Maria Floria Biondi Santi.

The modern era

The 2013 vintage was identified as the fortieth Riserva produced between 1888 and 2013. It was also the first Riserva offered in Magnum, Jéroboam and Mathusalem in addition to 750 ml. For the 2015 Brunello, 750 ml and Magnum were produced together for the first time.

Federico Radi became Technical Director at Greppo in 2019, with responsibility for preserving and applying the estate’s inherited principles. Contemporary vinification retains indigenous yeasts and Slavonian oak while employing oak, concrete and stainless-steel vessels according to the vintage. Giampiero Bertolini serves as CEO, and the two present themselves as custodians of the Biondi-Santi legacy.

The wines are produced from estate-grown grapes. Selection begins in the vineyards: Brunello is assembled from selected Sangiovese grown in identified proprietary parcels, while Riserva draws from selections that include the oldest parcels. Historically, Riserva fruit came from vines more than 25 years old. Rosso was traditionally associated with the youngest vines and with parcels that emphasize fruit; historical technical entries variously define these vines as under ten years old or between four and ten years old.

Harvesting and selection respond to each season. The fruit for Brunello is described as hand-selected. In 2018, harvest lasted eight days and focused on careful selection of the best bunches. The difficult 2023 season brought downy mildew pressure and required particularly rigorous sorting to retain sound, high-quality grapes.

The proprietary BBS11 clone—Brunello Biondi Santi 11—was identified and selected at Tenuta Greppo during the 1970s and formally recognized in 1978. Earlier vine material from Tenuta Greppo and Scarnacuoia formed part of the selection history that led to it.

Fermentation and vessels

The traditional Brunello method combines fermentation in cement vats with indigenous yeasts originating in the estate vineyards. Contemporary vinifications broaden the available vessel palette without abandoning indigenous fermentations. The 2019 Brunello and Riserva were vinified across oak, concrete and stainless steel; the 2020 Brunello used the same three materials. The 2018 Brunello employed vessels of different sizes in stainless steel, wood and concrete, while the 2018 Riserva used Slavonian oak and concrete. In 2015, Riserva was vinified in upright Slavonian oak casks with estate-selected indigenous yeasts.

Maturation

Slavonian oak remains the defining maturation material. Historical Brunello and Riserva entries generally record three years in Slavonian oak, while several early Tancredi-era Riservas record four years. Contemporary élevage is adjusted by vintage: the 2019 Brunello spent 30 months in Slavonian oak, the 2019 Riserva 28 months, and the 2020 Brunello 24 months. Rosso di Montalcino receives a shorter maturation, consistently documented as 12 months in Slavonian oak.

La Storica and bottle conservation

At the centre of the old cellar at Tenuta Greppo is La Storica, the library devoted to every Riserva vintage. Bottles mature in small, vintage-specific cells, without labels and with only a drop of beeswax over the cork to limit oxidation. A bottle is dressed only when it leaves the cellar: the original vintage label is applied, the numbered neck label or lunetta is added, and the departure date is written by hand on the back label.

Historic bottles can undergo topping-up and recorking. When such reconditioning has occurred, a certificate is placed around the bottle’s neck identifying the intervention. Documented topping-up dates extend from 1927 for the 1888 and 1891 vintages to 2020 for the 1995 Riserva.