The Family
In the heart of Maremma, Jacopo Biondi Santi and his children are writing a new chapter in their family’s history of winemaking excellence
acopo Biondi Santi represents the sixth generation of a pioneering family of winemakers. Assisted by his children Tancredi, Clemente and Clio, he runs the estate of Castello di Montepò with all the enterprising spirit of his ancestors.
It is here, that the family’s own exclusive clone Sangiovese Grosso BBS11 has found the ideal terroir to express its celebrated character and longevity. As the designer of an ambitious project dedicated to wine enhancement and the preservation of native typicality, Jacopo Biondi Santi has undertaken an impressive microclimatic and paedological study of the soil of Castello di Montepò, located south of Grosseto on the parallel of the fortress of Talamone. A team of researchers, geologists, agronomists and oenologists has collected and analysed a wide range of data, compiling a complete and exhaustive profile of the estate’s terroir and finding it to be exceptionally suited to the production of wines of the highest finesse and quality. Combining intuition and scientific rigor, Jacopo Biondi Santi thus began to create a new family of fine wines, expressive of a true bond with their natural habitat. The 1991 harvest saw the birth of Sassoalloro, a bridge between past and future, the cornerstone of a new monovarietal interpretation of Sangiovese: a label of immediate readiness with all the longevity you expect from a great Tuscan wine. In 1993, the family’s time-honoured love for Sangiovese inspired Jacopo Biondi Santi to experiment by testing it in various blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, creating the first vintage of the company’s powerful Schidione, the emblem of the estate’s visionary and innovative philosophy.
ancredi Biondi Santi carries, not only in his name, a family legacy founded on the pursuit of innovation and excellence in winemaking.
Born in Siena, he completed his studies in viticulture and oenology in Florence, where he came to master the ideas, practices and techniques which would profoundly shape the pursuit of his vocation. Since his university years, Tancredi has worked in the family business, acting as the company’s chief international marketer and supporting his father Jacopo in the management of the estate. A passionate traveller and lover of different cultures, since 2017 he has forged a new course for Castello di Montepò, by completely redesigning its management structure and overseeing the Montepò 2030 project.
he Biondi Santi family has gained a special place in the history of Italian winemaking thanks to the lively and passionate inventiveness of its members. The roots of this brilliant adventure go back to the 1800s, when Ferruccio Biondi Santi planted the first Montalcino vineyard with vines of a selected Sangiovese clone, called Sangiovese Grosso or Brunello: it was the first step towards a new way of making wine that would soon become an international success.
oved by the same curiosity and innovative spirit, his son Tancredi was one of the minds behind the creation of a disciplinary for the DOCG, as well as the first one to introduce the particular custom of topping up the ullage levels of older vintages to improve their longevity. His son Franco, at the helm of the family company for over 43-years, worked hard to further the reputation of Biondi Santi as an international standard-bearer for excellence in winemaking. An extraordinary wine heritage, the fruit of over a century and a half of history now in the capable hands of Franco’s son, Jacopo, who in the spirit of his ancestors has given life to new family of wines combining tradition and innovation.
o fulfil his brave and modern vision, Jacopo Biondi Santi acquired the Montepò Castle, in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma. Here, every bit as staunchly as his unconquerable medieval fortress, Jacopo has dedicated himself to the growing of Sangiovese Grosso BBS 11, owned by the family, and the creation of labels that express all the vigorous individuality of a man determined to build an even brighter future for his own family. An intense work where experience, intuition and oenological artistry all come together, undertaken by Jacopo Biondi Santi together with his children Tancredi, Clemente and Clio.
acopo Biondi Santi represents the sixth generation of a pioneering family of winemakers. Assisted by his children Tancredi, Clemente and Clio, he runs the estate of Castello di Montepò with all the enterprising spirit of his ancestors.
It is here, that the family’s own exclusive clone Sangiovese Grosso BBS11 has found the ideal terroir to express its celebrated character and longevity. As the designer of an ambitious project dedicated to wine enhancement and the preservation of native typicality, Jacopo Biondi Santi has undertaken an impressive microclimatic and paedological study of the soil of Castello di Montepò, located south of Grosseto on the parallel of the fortress of Talamone. A team of researchers, geologists, agronomists and oenologists has collected and analysed a wide range of data, compiling a complete and exhaustive profile of the estate’s terroir and finding it to be exceptionally suited to the production of wines of the highest finesse and quality. Combining intuition and scientific rigor, Jacopo Biondi Santi thus began to create a new family of fine wines, expressive of a true bond with their natural habitat. The 1991 harvest saw the birth of Sassoalloro, a bridge between past and future, the cornerstone of a new monovarietal interpretation of Sangiovese: a label of immediate readiness with all the longevity you expect from a great Tuscan wine. In 1993, the family’s time-honoured love for Sangiovese inspired Jacopo Biondi Santi to experiment by testing it in various blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, creating the first vintage of the company’s powerful Schidione, the emblem of the estate’s visionary and innovative philosophy.
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Tancredi Biondi Santi carries, not only in his name, a family legacy founded on the pursuit of innovation and excellence in winemaking.
Born in Siena, he completed his studies in viticulture and oenology in Florence, where he came to master the ideas, practices and techniques which would profoundly shape the pursuit of his vocation. Since his university years, Tancredi has worked in the family business, acting as the company’s chief international marketer and supporting his father Jacopo in the management of the estate. A passionate traveller and lover of different cultures, since 2017 he has forged a new course for Castello di Montepò, by completely redesigning its management structure and overseeing the Montepò 2030 project.
The Biondi Santi family has gained a special place in the history of Italian winemaking thanks to the lively and passionate inventiveness of its members. The roots of this brilliant adventure go back to the 1800s, when Ferruccio Biondi Santi planted the first Montalcino vineyard with vines of a selected Sangiovese clone, called Sangiovese Grosso or Brunello: it was the first step towards a new way of making wine that would soon become an international success.
Moved by the same curiosity and innovative spirit, his son Tancredi was one of the minds behind the creation of a disciplinary for the DOCG, as well as the first one to introduce the particular custom of topping up the ullage levels of older vintages to improve their longevity. His son Franco, at the helm of the family company for over 43-years, worked hard to further the reputation of Biondi Santi as an international standard-bearer for excellence in winemaking. An extraordinary wine heritage, the fruit of over a century and a half of history now in the capable hands of Franco’s son, Jacopo, who in the spirit of his ancestors has given life to new family of wines combining tradition and innovation.
To fulfil his brave and modern vision, Jacopo Biondi Santi acquired the Montepò Castle, in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma. Here, every bit as staunchly as his unconquerable medieval fortress, Jacopo has dedicated himself to the growing of Sangiovese Grosso BBS 11, owned by the family, and the creation of labels that express all the vigorous individuality of a man determined to build an even brighter future for his own family. An intense work where experience, intuition and oenological artistry all come together, undertaken by Jacopo Biondi Santi together with his children Tancredi, Clemente and Clio.
A wine story
In the heart of Maremma, Jacopo Biondi Santi and his children are writing a new chapter in their family’s history of winemaking excellence.
