Il Poggione Vertical

Leopoldo Franceschi, Owner of Il Poggione (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

One of my favorite Brunello producers for years has been Il Poggione, located just below the town of Sant' Angelo in Colle. Owned by Leopoldo Franceschi, the wines are beautifully made by Fabrizio Bindocci, a strict traditionalist. He ages his Brunello only in large casks (botti grandi); a few years ago he switched coopers and now uses French oak rather than Slavonian.

Bindocci and his son Alessandro hosted several journalists including myself for a wonderful vertical tasting at the winery this past February. Not only was it a rare opportunity to try several vintages of this great Brunello at once, it was also a chance to taste what Brunello was like more than 40 years ago. As Brunello has become a collector’s item, many new estates have sprouted up over the past 10-15 years. When the Il Poggione wine was made in 1966, there were only 26 producers of Brunello; today there are over 150. The local wine scene has certainly changed, but the outstanding quality of Il Poggione has not!


1997
Deep garnet with a brick edge. Aromas of cedar, orange marmalade and a hint of truffle. Medium-full with very good to excellent concentration. Earthy finish with very good fruit persistence. This should drink well for another 10-12 years. Outstanding

1991
Deep garnet with aromas of still fresh cherry, a hint of strawberry and cedar. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Long finish with beautiful acidity, subtle oak and refined tannins. Gorgeous wine – still with another 12-15 years of life to it. Outstanding

1988
Deep garnet with aromas of cedar, dried currant, sage and dried truffle. Medium-full with very good concentration. Very good fruit persistence and a long finish with a light herbal note. Lively acidity and subtle tannins. Drinking beautifully now, this should offer pleasure for another 7-10 years. Outstanding

1970
Pale garnet with a light edge. Aromas of dried currant, truffle and a hint of marmalade. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Quite elegant, this is beautifully balanced with subdued tannins. Nearing peak, this will drink well for another 5-7 years. Excellent

1966
Pale garnet with a brick edge. Aromas of cedar and truffle. Medium-full with very good to excellent concentration. Lengthy finish with pinpoint acidity. At peak- enjoy over the next 3-5 years. Excellent


I tasted the 2004 at a separate event. Here is my review of that wine:
As this is one of my favorite producers of Brunello di Montalcino, I expected an outstanding wine from the 2004 vintage; I was not let down. Deep bright garnet with aromas of red cherry, wild strawberry and cedar. Medium-full with very good to excellent concentration. Generous mid-palate and an elegant entry on the palate. Long, long finish with excellent fruit persistence, lively acidity and young, refined tannins. Typical class! Best in 15-20 years. Outstanding

Fabrizio Bindocci, Winemaker, Il Poggione (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

So much goes into making a great wine. Certainly having great material in the vineyards helps; Fabrizio Bindocci mentioned that as the local weather has been getting slightly warmer over the past few years, they have been planting new clones specifically created to work better at higher temperatures.

But perhaps the principal reason the Il Poggione team succeeds so brilliantly is their humility along with a constant belief that they can always improve the quality of their products. "I never think I make the best wine," Bindocci told me. "That way I can make better and better wine every year."

A Dinner to Remember

Leopoldo Franceschi, owner of Il Poggione (Photo ©Tom Hyland)


I just returned from nine days in Toscana, tasting new releases of Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Brunello di Montalcino (the oustanding 2004 vintage) and Bolgheri. There were many highlights, including visiting Ornellaia, Sassicaia and Le Macchiole on the same day as well as meeting many long-time (and several new) friends in various locales along the way. Over the next few weeks, I’ll report about my experiences; today my first post about the trip regards a wonderful dinner I attended near Montalcino.

The dinner was held on February 19 at the winery of the famous Brunello producer, Il Poggione. Joining that producer as co-host of the dinner was Col d’Orcia, a nearby estate that shares a similar history. Both produce Brunello in a traditional style – aged in large casks – and both have been producing Brunello for more than 40 years. Today there are more than 150 producers of Montalcino’s most famous wine, but in the mid 1960s, when these two estates were going strong, there were fewer than 30.

The dinner was a great opportunity to compare both new and old wines from these houses. The first pairing was of the 2007 Rosso di Montalcino; we then moved on to the newly released 2004 Brunellos from both. Each Rosso is full of fruit with only subtle wood notes, while their respective bottlings of 2004 Brunello were first-rate. The Il Poggione is a touch riper and fuller on the palate with beautiful acidity, while the Col d’Orcia is a bit more subdued with stronger tannins; both should be drinking well in another 20 years.



Chef Roberto Rossi of Silene Ristorante (Photo ©Tom Hyland)


To show off the evening’s wines to perfection, the winery principals hired a superb chef, Roberto Rossi, who practices his trade at his own restaurant called Silene in nearby Monte Amiata. I was assured by several locals that this restaurant is a true destination in the area and given this dinner, it’s easy to see why. Like most great Italian chefs, Rossi’s talent lies in the simplicity of his dishes combined with tremendous flavor. We enjoyed raviolini stuffed with pigeon and parmesan cheese with the current Brunellos and went on to dine on duck breast and veal with the older bottlings. There was a tremendous variety of gourmet delicacies served that night and most of us enjoyed every bite.

The final wines included two excellent pairings: the 1999 Il Poggione Riserva with the 2001 Col D’Orcia Riserva “Poggio al Vento” and the 1980 Il Poggione with the 1979 Col d’Orcia Riserva. What a treat to try these wines, as we were given a brief history lesson in how these gorgeous wines drink after a decade or more. The 1979 Col d’Orcia was particularly remarkable with striking fruit depth and beautiful acidity; I wouldn’t be surprised if this wine were drinking well in another ten years on its 40th birthday.

The last course was an incredible warm flan of pistacchio which was quite rich yet so delicate at the same time. The dessert offerings from the wineries – Moscadello di Montalcino made from the Moscato grape – were lightly sweet and beautifully suited to this treat. Of course, grappas were offered, but I was stuffed (to say the least) by this time, so it was time to say goodbye and thank my hosts, Leopoldo Franceschi of Il Poggione and Edoardo Virano of Col d’Orcia for their invitation to a dinner I will not forget any time soon!