The story of this Brunello is a tale of challenge
On the label sits the Condottiere Guidoriccio da Foglian, who bore witness to many challenges. The first was overcome in 1974 when Vittorio Frescobaldi transformed the wilderness southwest of Montalcino into a magnificent vineyard perfectly suited to capture the sunlight. The second is repeated every day in the vineyard at Castelgiocondo where intense competition amongst the tightly packed vines yields the most concentrated grapes and richest aromas. The final challenge is posed by time. This wine matures and refines for years in wood, preparing itself to face the challenge of decades.
Sangiovese requires obedience, as did the capricious gods of Olympus
Sangiovese, literally “Jove’s blood,” is without doubt a grape variety as demanding as the god on Olympus; it gives its best gifts if one respects the conditions it lays down, then the quality can be truly divine. It should be grown above 250 metres, and it prefers the crown of hills and a southwest exposure, to better absorb the afternoon sun, normally the warmest part of the day. If the soils are not well drained and gravel-rich, its clusters tend to swell up and lose their quality and concentration. In a word, it is definitely a capricious grape. But Castelgiocondo displays all of the conditions that are perfect for coaxing out the finest qualities from sangiovese and for producing a noble Brunello di Montalcino.