The shepherd's tale
One of the major Brunello estates of today has its roots in a shepherd’s tale. Florentine landowner Lavinio Franceschi was intrigued to hear a shepherd waxing lyrical about the slopes of Montalcino, and decided to visit. He fell in love with the region, bought land, and began to farm. 140 years and 5 generations later, his Il Poggione estate is woven through the history of Brunello. In the early 1900s, Il Poggione was one of the first to sell Brunello, in the 1960s it was a founder member of the Consorzio. Its ongoing research programme has provided two of Brunello’s most widely-used Sangiovese clones. And while it is one of Brunello’s largest estates, it somehow manages quality levels we would associate with a smaller, artisanal winery.
Il Poggione lies in Sant’Angelo in Colle, near a clutch of other Uncorked favourities (Sesti, Argiano, Lisini). With vineyards at anything between 150 and 450 metres, the Franceschi family have the advantage of being able spread their harvest and blend wines according to very different vintage conditions. That gives them a resilience many estates lack. And they have been on the scene long enough to have accumulated some very old vines.
2017 was a hot, dry Montalcino vintage, but the old vines at Il Poggione weathered it well. Harvest was early, to keep freshness in the wines. The family chose not to make a 2017 Riserva, keeping the best fruit for the straight Brunello. Their 2017 Brunello is a fine example in the estate’s classic style. The wines of Il Poggione have always worn their structure lightly: as Brunello authority Kerin O’Keefe puts it, they have ‘a surprising, indeed almost a shocking staying power belied by their easygoing approachability’. /NT
'Masses of ashen earth, smoke, dusty cherry and roses with nuances of clove lift up from the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino. This is silky and pliant upon entry, presenting a rich display of intense red and hints of black fruits laced with chalky minerals that drenches the palate. Penetrating acidity and grippy tannins create a burst of cheek-puckering tension, clenching down hard with youthful poise, as notes of licorice and hard red candies linger through the structured, medium-length finale. There are some moments where the 2017 reminds you that it comes from an incredibly hot and dry vintage, yet overall, it’s a huge success for the year. That said, it needs time to unwind from its youthful state. Production was down 15–20% at Il Poggione in 2017 due to severe selection of bunches, and all of the fruit that would have been reserved for the Riserva Vigna Paganelli was added to the Brunello instead. 93 points' - Eric Guido, vinous.com, December 2021
Offered subject to remaining unsold; for shipment late Spring 2022
