The name Biondi Santi has been associated with famed Brunello di Montalcino wine from the Tuscan hills of Italy since Clemente Santi focused his attention on the Sangiovese grape in the mid-19^th century. His heir Ferruccio Biondi Santi used the best quality of their grapes—with thick skin and large berries—to create a modern version of aged Brunello (which is made exclusively from Sangiovese)—in the late 1800’s. For over a century the family has focused on their proprietary Sangiovese grosso clone BBS11 to make Brunello.

Yet after generations of dedication to this wine at their Tenuta Greppo estate (during which time Brunello di Montalcino became the first wine to receive Italy’s highest appellation of Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, or DOCG), a combination of inheritance laws and financial pressure convinced Jacopo Biondi Santi to sell the majority share of the family’s Montalcino estate. The timing may have been serendipitous, for the act allows his family to dedicate themselves to another impressive wine project.

In the early 1990’s, energetic and ambitious, Jacopo Biondi Santi began searching for an alternate terroir to the hills of Montalcino for viticulture. His pursuit expanded in concentric circles in a radius that grew from 20 to 60 miles (30 to 100 kilometers) away from Montalcino. In 1996 he purchased 1,300 acres (530 hectares) as well as an 11^th century castle named Castello di Montepò, located in a southern region of Tuscany known as the Maremma, some 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of Montalcino. Although the castle is mighty and subsequent renovations are impressive, the structure was secondary to its associated wine growing terroir.

The decision to purchase that land was based primarily on its richness and diversity of soil types—of which there are 17. At the time of purchase, the land was used primarily for planting grain, and included a few acres (about one hectare) of grapevines, as well as 900 sheep.

Biondi Santi planted the family’s proprietary Sangiovese grosso clone. Today this Montepò estate includes 125 acres (50 hectares) of vines, and Biondi Santi considers the variety of soils and microclimates there as superior to those surrounding Montalcino.