My esteemed colleague David Lynch and I just returned from Italy, having spent the last few days combing the darkest corners of our favorite cellars, looking for treasures to share in the coming months. And over the course of a few days in Montalcino, everyone we met had extremely flattering things to say about twin sisters Margarita and Francesca Padovani, and their Brunello micro-estate, Campi di Fonterenza.
The twins’ wines from their tiny property in Montalcino are famously rare—and in the case of their Brunello, extremely expensive. I’ve only seen Fonterenza Brunello grace a US restaurant list a few times in my life, and each time it’s been priced well in excess of $200. We are honored to offer my personal favorite current release from the estate, the truly breathtaking Rosso di Montalcino from 2014. With its deep fruit, perfectly chiseled tannins and infinite finish, this stunning wine embarrasses many Brunellos two to three times’ its price. For my own personal collection, I often prefer Rosso di Montalcino over Brunello because the wines are less vulnerable to the premature frailty and oxidation that sometimes results from the DOCG-mandated extended barrel aging. So, look no further if you seek an elite, hand-crafted Montalcino red that is built for the cellar. This wine is absolutely stunning now, and it will only improve for the next 10-15 years.
Francesca and Margarita Padovani are twin sisters and the proprietors/farmers/winemakers at Fonterenza, an ancient and extremely small wine-growing property that sits at 1,300 feet, looking down over the vast Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. All farming is strictly organic and biodynamic. The property’s vineyards date to the 1400s, but were long defunct before being revived by the Padovani family in the 1970’s. Francesca and Margarita are among the very short list of Tuscan producers to ever enjoy a warm relationship with neighbor, mentor, and Brunello icon, Gianfranco Soldera. Soldera, famously opinionated and cantankerous, is said to have shared more than a few secrets during their ongoing friendship and the similarities in the two estates’ wines are unmistakable (except Soldera’s Rosso is $600 per bottle and Fonterenza’s is $42!). Following years of grueling manual labor and apprenticeships, the twins finally bottled their first vintage in 2002. Seemingly overnight, they became darlings of the wine press and Italian sommelier community.
The 100% Sangiovese Grosso fruit for both Fonterenza’s Brunello and this Rosso di Montalcino see an extended month-plus skin maceration (this is an extraordinarily long time, relative to other producers in the region) before fermentation in 17.5-hectoliter new Slavonian oak fermenters, using only airborne, indigenous yeasts. Next, the wine enjoys an affinamento, or élevage, in even larger 37 hectoliter Slavonian oak casks. The Brunello stays in Slavonian oak for 48 months while this Rosso di Montalcino enjoys a generous 20 months. There are only a few hundred cases of each wine bottled each vintage, with no fining or filtering before the cork is sealed.
The outstanding 2014 vintage blessed this Rosso di Montalcino with a deep and concentrated crimson-black core moving to deep red and burnt orange tones on the rim. The nose is a torrent of red and black cherry, black plum, cigar tabacco, charred pork, ginger bread, and a hint of bitter dark chocolate. On the palate there is ample, quenching acidity but it is all framed perfectly by the truly impressive, detailed tannins extracted during the lengthy maceration. This wine drinks like a 1960s-era Barolo from a top site, but its aromatics are 100% Brunello. It’s a real beauty. It is absolutely singing now, so I encourage you to splash it in a decanter for one hour prior to sipping from a large Bordeaux stem alongside a well-charred steak. Also, it has all the backbone and structure to improve for at least another 10-15 years. By the mid-2020s it will be in glorious form and I’m quite confident you won’t mind the fact that it doesn’t say “Brunello” on the label. Truly, this wine offers everything and more than anyone could ever ask for a far-higher-priced Brunello. It’s gorgeous—and as I mentioned above, opportunities to acquire Fonterenza reds in the US are few and far between.
