Ciacci Piccolomini D’Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Pianrosso Santa Caterina d'Oro 2015 Toscana

Located in the south east of the Montalcino region close to the beautiful medieval village of Castelnuovo dell’Abate in the Tuscan hills, the estate of Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona can trace its routes back to the 17th century.

In a nutshell: In 1985 the countess Elda Ciacci bequeathed the estate to Giuseppe Bianchini, keeper of the estate for many years, who applied a new philosophy of production for that period, increasing quantity, quality of wines and opening the export worldwide.

Today the 220 hectare estate is run by his children, Paolo and Lucia. Paolo’s children Alex and Ester are also now involved in the business. In total, 53ha are devoted to Sangiovese Grosso, producing the highly acclaimed Brunello di Montalcino, with the rest dedicated to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The estate has two cellars, the historical cellar dedicated to the ageing of the most prestigious wines located beneath the 17th century Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Palazzo, and the new cellar near the village of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, now the estate headquarters.

The terroir: The estate borders the Orcia River which helps to moderate the temperature in this hot, dry part of the region. The soil texture has good levels of marl and shale, dating from the Eocene period. The Sangiovese Grosso clone is selected from the oldest vines of the estate and is particularly representative of Sangiovese coming from the Montalcino area, which produces quality even in difficult vintages.