Andrea Mantengoli is adamant about a lot of things, but particularly about his Brunello. You must be organic, is one essential part of his philosophy. He explains that the terroir is so good that not only don’t you need ‘chemical poisons’ to produce fruit, but that they’ll destroy the identity of the wine. Montalcino has so much perfect soil – poor but able to hold enough water, that organic viticulture is perfect for the job.

They have form, they’ve been growing and selling organic Sangiovese wine and fruit from the site for over 100 years, though only bottled as Brunello since Andrea and his brother took the helm in 1988. Now they have 8.5 hectares of prime vineyard land under vine. Andrea’s brother Marcello, an organic architect, designed the cellar, which uses Roman air-conditioning technology and solar water heating, while the most aggressive cleaning done is with bicarbonate of soda. The wines are supple and elegant and will age, though we often find them very approachable on arrival. (CW 23/02/15)