The Montenidoli Colorino hails from Elisabetta Fagiuoli’s mountainside vineyards overlooking San Gimignano just west of Chianti Classico. While Fagiuoli’s most recognized wines are her whites from Vernaccia, we fell in love with her Colorino and Sono bottlings. Montenidoli is famous within the wine trade for sure, not just because of the consistent excellence (and organic pedigree) of the wines but because of its indefatigable proprietor, who, at eighty-something, is still regularly seen pouring her wines at industry tastings in the US, decked out like a proper signora and full of goodwill. She’s a true legend whose 50+ years in wine includes accolades from some of Italian wine’s biggest names (Luigi Veronelli; Giacomo Tachis; Giulio Gambelli), and her belief in both her land and herself is best summed up by the name “Sono Montenidoli” (“I am Montenidoli”). If you’re an Italian wine lover and haven’t experienced these wines, you must; if you already know Montenidoli, you know how special her wines are. 

“Sono Montenidoli,” is a flagship bottling of 100% Sangiovese that will stand up to anything from Chianti Classico, Montepulciano, or Montalcino. And again, it’s not because it’s such a “big,” showy wine; it’s because it’s a complete wine with soaring aromatics and an earthy soul. The wine is aged for longer than most Brunello before its initial release (two years in used oak barriques; three years in bottle), and while it is a joy to drink now, there is still plenty of life still ahead of it. As a Sangiovese aficionado, I place this 2015 right up there with the best I’ve tasted in recent memory: black and red cherry, juicy cranberry, sweet tobacco, rose petals, and underbrush are presented in a very silky, refined package; none of Sangiovese’s sharp edges are on display, and oak-derived flavors are effectively non-existent. It is just fantastic after an hour-long decant.