Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2013 (750 ml.) Fuligni

THE WINE

TheBrunello di Montalcino Riserva"of"FuligniIt is the result of important grapes carefully selected, coming from low yields per hectare and produced only in years suitable for the high company standard. Aged for 4 years, of which about 2 and a half in wood, it shows excellent longevity, but is also intended for more immediate consumption, in its elegant synthesis of fruit and spicy notes. Only the best vintages become Riserva.

THE COMPANY

The company FuligniIt extends for about one hundred hectares, fully cultivated, in a nearly continuous strip of land on the eastern slope of Montalcino, where historically the most classic production of Brunello has emerged. The vineyards, covering an area of ten hectares, are mainly located in the "I Cottimelli" area at an altitude ranging from 380 to 450 meters. m.s.l.m.. Here the land, predominantly exposed to the east, entirely belongs to the geological formation of S.Fiora (galestro), of Eocene origin and is composed mainly of a rocky skeletal structure.

THE STORY

The Visconti Fuligni, an ancient family of Venetian origins, moved to England in the 14th century, at the head of a mercenary company in the service of Edward III. With the succession of the Habsburg-Lorraine to the Grand Duchy, Luigi Fuligni He moved to Tuscany as a general of the new sovereigns and here, around 1770, he obtained from Grand Duke Peter Leopold extensive land concessions in Maremma with the commitment to proceed with their reclamation, as was the desire of that enlightened sovereign. Giovanni Maria Fuligni He settled in Montalcino at the beginning of the 1900s, producing wine, just as the family had previously done in their properties in Maremma and especially in Scansano.
The company Fuligni in Montalcino directed by Dr. Maria Flora Fuligni It consists of about 100 hectares in various exposures. The vineyards, covering about ten hectares, are located in the eastern part of the hill, the classic area for Brunello. The wineries, in addition to the original location of the 18th-century palace in Montalcino, which was once the residence of the Medici grand dukes, are mainly situated in the “Cottimelli” area (about 3 km from Montalcino towards Siena), where the tasting rooms are also located, set in the spaces that once housed a small convent of nuns from the 16th century, which has been recently renovated.

THE VINEYARDS

The vineyards, covering about ten hectares, are located in the eastern area of the hill, the classic region of Brunello. New vineyards have been planted in an east-southeast exposure, in mixed soils of tuff and clay. The average age of the vineyards is around 12 years, and some plants over thirty years old have been preserved, featuring old estate clones of Sangiovese with a lower density per hectare. The training system is the classic horizontal cordon spur (bilateral) with a limited bud load per plant and a density ranging from 3,333 to 5,000 vines per hectare. Careful green pruning is carried out, with significant thinning of the grapes in order to keep the yield per hectare at a global average of 50 to 55 quintals of grapes. Harvesting is done manually, with the personal participation of the owners to ensure strict selection of the grapes, with subsequent passes through the rows. The various estate vineyards (S.Giovanni; The Piano; Il Ginestreto; La Bandita) are vinified separately based on soil types and exposure, and are then blended considering the types of wine they are destined for (Brunello "regular," Riserva, Rosso doc). The Brunello di Montalcino Fuligni It is vinified in stainless steel containers with a capacity of no more than 60 hectoliters, located in a winery just a few meters from the vineyards, with temperature control. After fermentation, there follows a variable period of maceration on the skins, and immediately after, malolactic fermentation is carried out. The future Brunello begins its aging process in 5 and 7.5 hectoliter tonneaux, primarily aimed at achieving adequate fixation of the anthocyanins. After a few months, the wine is transferred to traditional Slavonian oak barrels with a capacity of 30 hectoliters, located in the ancient cellar situated beneath the 16th-century Medici palace, which is still the residence of the family. Fuligni. Brunello, as required by law, must be aged for a total of 4 years in the regular vintage type, while the reserve must be aged for 5 years. The periods following the aging in wood are spent in stainless steel containers and, for about 8 months, in bottles before commercialization. The "Riserva" type is produced in the best vintages, with grapes typically coming from the oldest vineyards. The same regular Brunello is the result of a very strict selection, and there have been harvests in which the Fuligni They have decided not to produce any Brunello (e.g. 1972; 1976; 2002). The "Rosso di Montalcino" DOC bears the designation "Ginestreto" and is partially aged in French oak barrels for about six months.