Villa i Cipressi- Montalcino

So....we have finally managed to go and visit a wine farm in Montalcino. In fact, this wine farm was recommended to me by one of the people who I went to Italian school with. She is a Brunello fanatic and visits various farms. Normally small, boutique farms as she prefers them to the commercialized ones.

Let me share some facts and history about this wine farm which we decided to visit: Villa i Cipressi, just outside Montalcino.

Villa I Cipressi started producing Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino from the year 2000. Villa I Cipressi has three and a half hectares of Sangiovese vines in the territory of Montalcino. The vineyards are located both in the south part of the territory and in the north-west part, and both are exposed toward the south which allow the vines to receive the best sunlight throughout the day.

The southern vineyard is located at an altitude of about 250 meters above sea level, with a soil primarily porous and sandy, that produce a grape with a great presence of alcohol, and a full-bodied and powerful, voluminous wine. The second vineyard is located 450 meters above sea level, where the soil is mainly clayey and calcareous. That gives a wine well perfumed and aromatic and with low acidity. The vines benefit from a moderate climate. The wine farms blends the grapes from the different vineyards, which enrich and improves the quality of the wine (they believe). 

Once we arrived at the wine farm, one of the sons took us on a guided tour (which we did have to book in advance). 

http://www.villacipressi.it

We walked past the vineyard, which we were told is organic, to the small cellar where we saw where the grapes are fermented and then put into the wooden barrels, later bottled and labelled. We were informed that a Brunello wine has to be at least 24 months in a wooden barrel and needs to be aged 5 years before being allowed to be sold...hence they are also quite pricey wines. The cellar was painted by their Austian  friend, Waltraud Redl. In my opinion there was an African feel towards it....a lot of colours and Zebras. it did not appeal to me...I must admit I prefer the more traditional Tuscan ways. However, it might appeal to some other people. Time for me to share some pics before I get into the tasting....

Organic Sangiovese Vineyard

 Wine being aged in the barrels

Wine being aged in the barrels

Cellar wall painted by the Austrian friend, Waltraud Redl

The tasting area was quite tastefully done...I must admit...small and quaint. Let me share a pic:

Tasting area

The tasting included three red wines. We started with the Rosso di Montalcino (9 Euros per bottle). It was, in my opinion, high in tenant and acidity, not my favourite. Let me share what the winemakers say about it:

The Rosso di Montalcino is a younger wine that combines the special characteristics of vivacity and freshness with a superb structure. The average production is 5000 bottles per year. The Rosso ages, as the Brunello, for a total of 6-8 months in oak casks and 10 months in bottle. Our Rosso di Montalcino is harmonic, elegant and sapid. It is suitable to accompany many types of dishes. It is brilliant and limpid, with a composite ruby red colour.

Next up was the Brunello (30 Euros per bottle). At last was the special Brunello (60 Euros per bottle) which is produced only from one single vineyard. It is the one that features the labels with the zebras. For me, my favourite was the normal Brunello, the blended Sangiovese from the various vineyards. Let me share what the winemakers will say:

Brunello di Montalcino is produced exclusively from Sangiovese grapes, the average production is 15000 bottles per year. The production follows severe standards, including yield limits per hectare, ageing duration and product characteristics. Before the wine can be sold, it must be subjected to an evaluation by a competent board, whose task is that of ensuring the wine special qualities. Only after it passes this test the wine can bear the registered designation of origin D.O.C.G. Brunello di Montalcino is a visually limpid and brilliant wine with a lively garnet colour and with an intense, persistent, full and earthy aroma. Scents of brush lands, aromatic wood, a light trace of vanilla and a blend of fruit flavours can all be found in this wine. Brunello di Montalcino “Villa I Cipressi“ is characterized by an elegant, harmonic and strong body. It is dry and its flavour presents a pronounced aromatic persistence. Thanks to its qualities, it can withstand lengthy ageing, improving with time. It is difficult to establish how long the ageing can last, as it depends on the vintage. 60% of our Brunello di Montalcino ages in French Barriques and 40% in large oak Barrels for approximately 24 months followed by a refining period in the bottle of about 36 months.

We ended up buying two bottles of the Brunello and also some honey products because in fact the farm also produces its own honey...with various flavours. That was also very yummie. Let me share a pic of the special Brunello:

Special Brunello

All in all we had a nice tasting, it took about 1 hour. it was just us, it was small, three wines but in my opinion, the wines are quite pricey. The tasting was nice but it was nothing special nothing wow....and nothing I would say "you just have to try this...it is amazing."

Soon we are going for another wine tasting...I am curious how that one will be...for now...cheers from me...we chat soon. Goodnight.