2019 Jacopo Biondi Santi Sassoalloro Toscana 750 ml

Considering his last name—from the clan Antonio Galloni of Vinous has called the “royal family” of Montalcino—Jacopo Biondi-Santi was putting a lot on the line. 

Widely credited with inventing Brunello di Montalcino, the Biondi-Santi family has a sterling reputation in Tuscany. So when Jacopo found an irresistibly gorgeous vineyard site in Tuscany’s Maremma, he had a simple choice: Play it safe, or put it on the line. 

He staked the priceless family name on a property that he believed was better than many around Montalcino—and this gorgeous wine shows that it was worth the gamble. Born of a proprietary Sangiovese clone called BBS 11, grown on a blessed, precisely farmed plot, this 100% Sangiovese is, for our money, better than many Brunellos.

Biondi-Santi has been as much about pioneering traditions as they are about following them, developing new styles and techniques with peerless success. 

In that innovative spirit, Jacopo spent ten years diligently researching to find a new, ideal location for the family’s trademark Sangiovese clone. He landed at the historic Castello di Montepò estate in Morellino di Scansano. His hard work paid off: Wine Advocate said his estate “makes some of the best wines of the area.”

The excellent 2019 vintage in Maremma was a year that, according to Wine Spectator, enjoyed “benevolent weather [that] resulted in fruity, balanced reds and fresh whites, with the early releases enjoyable now.”  

Employing his decades of experience, Jacopo Biondi-Santi captured every drop of flavor from that fine growing season in Sassoalloro. It’s both full and fresh, with a round, rich mouthfeel balanced by an uplifting acidity that refreshes the palate and primes you for another bite of bistecca or pasta all’amatriciana.