BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
2016 San Polino
With an eye towards the Apennines, San Polino’s northerly vineyards are fully exposed to cool winter winds coming from Siberia. The vines are cropped a little heavier here than in the estate’s southeastern site, giving grapes with lots of juice. Yet there is no lack of concentration - it's a linear, elegant package. Dried flowers, peppery spice and cherry sit atop dark, wet soil. Sinewy, chalky and powdery tannins wrap around a core of crunchy fruit, almost ready to unfurl, with mineral touches, tangy acidity, and a graceful flow. Drinking range: 2023 - 2037 Rating: 95 Michaela Morris, Decanter (Apr 2021)
In Bond
75cl bottles (case of 6)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Lustrous mid ruby. Brooding cherry fruit with top notes of spice, minerals and a hint of soy sauce. Gorgeous mouth-filling fruit with fantastic firm, chewy tannins. Succulent, perfumed raspberry notes on a gripping, tactile finish. Fantastic balance. Drinking range: 2024 - 2038 Rating: 18+ Walter Speller, www.jancisrobinson.com (Mar 2021)
Attractive aromas of cherry, dark mushroom, bark and walnut follow through to a full body with lots of ripe cherry and berry character in the center palate. Firm, chewy tannins draw you down the palate. Extremely long. From organically grown grapes. Better than the superb 2015? Drink after 2023 and onwards. Drinking range: 2023 - Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Nov 2020)
The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino shows a mix of woodland berries and herbs before adding further depths of flowery undergrowth and smoky nuance. It’s silky-smooth, complemented by polished red/black fruits, while savory spices and notes of sour citrus slowly penetrate. Hints of licorice and mint linger, along with a coating of fine tannins on the long and lightly structured finish. The 2016 San Polino should shine bright with only a few years of cellaring. Drinking range: 2024 - 2034 Rating: 92 Eric Guido, www.vinous.com (Nov 2020)
San Polino
Thirty years ago, Luigi Fabbro and Londoner Katia Nussbaum founded San Polino – Montalcino’s first certified organic estate - with 4 (now 5) hectares of vines and 16 of forest, 9km from the town to the south-east on the way to Castelnuovo. They now have another site on the other side, 5 hectares of vines bordering Fuligni and Padelletti.
Katia, daughter of Romanian-Jewish father and brought up in Putney, had always felt a fish out of water in London, and had met Luigi ('Gigi') from Friuli in Katmandhu in her gap year. Having completed her education at SOAS, she went to join him in Italy. Luigi, a trained chemist and former computer scientist, brought his experiences mapping the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest to this corner of Tuscany, and the couple aim to 'create wines as complete reflections of the biodiversity of the terroir'.
Blessed with an extraordinary range of soil types across their land – from ancient sea beds to volcanic minerals - they are self-proclaimed extremists when it comes to organic farming, using microorganisms in place of sulphur and copper in the vineyard. Their own compost is made from the stalks and skins from the grapes, and grasses and beans are regularly planted to add nutrients to the soil and increase biodiversity. The wines undergo spontaneous fermentation from indigenous yeasts, and see a 45-day maceration on skins, before being pressed and raised in large Slavonian and French oak for three years. 5% of the oak is new, for a hint of spice.
The vineyards have been organic since 1994 and are also certified biodynamic. The philosophy of biodynamics, with its emphasis on harmony and balance, plus obsessive care in the winemaking, lends the wines a phenomenal amount of elegance and purity of fruit, with a finish that seems to go on forever.
ORDERING VIA OUR WEBSITE:
- Add cases to your Wishlist (which appears in the sidebar and header separately from the main basket) which you can click to view and edit.
- Submit your Wishlist with your details.
- We will respond as quickly as possible with confirmation of your order and your invoice.
N.b. Certain wines which are on very tight allocations will be offered first to customers who buy across the range.
Alternatively please call or email the team () or your normal Lea and Sandeman contact.
ELEPHANT PRIVATE STORAGE: We will deliver your wines to your Elephant In Bond storage account unless otherwise specified. You can find more details on L&S storage here or contact our primeurs team for more information. Do however proceed with your order first in order to secure your allocation, your storage account can be arranged later.
PRE-SHIPMENT FAQ
PRICES: This is a primeur offer - all prices are quoted IN BOND & Duty Paid ex-VAT. The prices are per pack as detailed - so if a wine is listed in twelve-bottle cases, the price given is per twelve, or if listed in in six-bottle cases, the price given is per six, and so on. If it looks too cheap (and even if it does not) check the case size!
DELIVERY COSTS: The in bond prices are for in bond delivery. Under bond delivery to an Elephant storage account at Octavian Corsham is free, but under bond delivery to other bonds or accounts may incur additional charges. If the wines are required duty-paid, a duty and VAT invoice will be raised once all the wines on an order are available.
PAYMENT: Orders will be invoiced for payment by cheque, cash, debit card or cleared funds to our account.
DELIVERY TIMING: The wines are not yet physically available, but will be shipped to us in Autumn this year and then on to your or your storage account.