Terra dell’abbondanza

The journey south from Siena crosses the Crete Senesi and Val d’Orcia before reaching Montalcino. Here altitude, bright days, cooler nights, ventilation and measured soils allow Sangiovese to mature with depth while retaining the structure needed for extended ageing.

The article places Montalcino between the Ombrone, Asso and Orcia rivers and describes the wider Brunello territory as approximately 24,000 hectares, of which roughly 4,000 hectares are vineyards shared among more than 200 producers. It also recalls the nineteenth-century transition associated with Clemente Santi, whose experiments moved beyond the local sweet Moscadello tradition toward the dark wine that became Brunello. Montalcino is ultimately presented as a place where geological, climatic and historical time becomes part of the wine.