Great Value Montalcino Heritage
Why Rosso di Montalcino — the 'baby Brunello' — is one of Tuscany's smartest-value reds, and what makes Fattoria dei Barbi's bottling sing.
Written by The Wine Monk · Singapore
Some rules are meant to be respected and followed. The appellation rules governing the main wine regions are debated endlessly by enterprising winemakers. One such argument — a 2011 vote on whether Rosso di Montalcino, by definition 100% Sangiovese, should allow other grape varieties — went a bit too far before being defeated. So we still have Rosso as 100% Sangiovese.
Rosso can be thought of as a second wine for Brunello producers. It brings in earlier cash flow while the Brunello ages in the cellar, and is produced from younger vines in the same vineyards. These are great-value bottles that can be opened with a lot less guilt and a lot more frequently — and across top producers the gap in quality versus their Brunellos is far smaller than the price suggests.
In the glass, the Barbi Rosso di Montalcino 2020 shows sweet cherry, a touch of wild flowers and mint on the finish. The wine was rated 90 points by Antonio Galloni and is drinking beautifully. The estate, Fattoria dei Barbi, is one of Montalcino's founding families — their wines are available across the range from Rosso to single-vineyard Vigna del Fiore Brunello.
