The most striking thing about visiting the home vineyard of Le Potazzine is the sense of altitude; at 507 meters it is higher than most Montalcino vineyards, exposed and open to the winds from every direction. Some modern-styled Brunellos don`t taste as if they have been made with Sangiovese; but no danger of that here, where the high vineyards bring a welcome freshness and balance to the final wine. The home vineyard sits on a mix of iron-rich and clay soils, and supplies perfume and elegance to the wine; a second site, almost equally high, facing Monte Amiata on dry, rocky, volcanic soil supplies structure. The third is sited at a mere 300 metres high on schist soils. Here the grapes ripen earlier, which is especially useful when the vintage is cooler.

Gigliola Giannetti runs Le Potazzine with her two daughters Viola and Sofia, after whom the estate is named; Potazzine are the birds that feature on the label, but it is also dialect for beloved children. They follow a traditional model, using large Slavonian barrels to age the wine (a very brief experiment with barrique was quickly abandoned), and rely on indigenous yeasts for fermentation. They are also organic. As Gigliola told me, `it`s not the new way, it`s the way things should have always been done`.

Check out their La Vineria restaurant and shop in Piazza Garibaldi in Montalcino for fine Tuscan home cooking, simple stuff from only the best ingredients and a great selection of other Montalcino wines as well as their own. Highly recommended both for the food and the hospitality. (NT 08/05/18)