Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino 2004
Tax included.
Winery: Biondi Santi
Vintage: 2004
Grape: Sangiovese
Drinking window: 2015 - 2040
Region: Tuscany
Production: 25.000 bottles
Milano Points: 240 Points
THE ITALIAN GRAPE (96)
2004 is an exceptional vintage for Brunello! The Biondi Santi is by far my favorite from this year, especially at its current stage. It exhibits remarkable depth, finesse, and balance. This wine is a perfect example of why patience pays off with outstanding wines. The tannins, though subtle, are already beautifully refined and well-integrated. It is brilliant to drink now, but it will undoubtedly improve over the next 5 years. An amazing wine if you are looking for immediate enjoyment from a top-tier selection.
ROBERT PARKER (90)
Biondi-Santi’s 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is an intriguing wine. Silky, refined tannins frame a core of perfumed dark red fruits as this compact, linear Brunello opens up in the glass. This medium-bodied Brunello is in need of serious bottle age, but the potential seems for the wine to develop nicely over the coming years. The estate’s 2004 is not a blockbuster, but rather a delicate, ethereal style of Brunello. It is also one of the finer wines made from this part of Montalcino in 2004.
About the wine
Ferruccio Biondi Santi is recognized as the founder of Brunello di Montalcino, having pioneered the use of a unique Sangiovese clone in the late 1800s to create a wine with exceptional aging potential and complexity. The Biondi Santi family chose not to copyright the Brunello di Montalcino name, instead sharing their knowledge with other producers to collectively raise the standard of the wine. Tancredi Biondi Santi, born in 1893, was instrumental in marketing the wine internationally, establishing its iconic label, and helping to secure its DOC and later DOCG status.
Tancredi’s son, Franco, expanded the Il Greppo estate and championed traditional winemaking methods, using Slavonian oak barrels to create wines with remarkable longevity. Franco’s dedication to producing wines that could age for decades further enhanced the prestige of Brunello di Montalcino. After Franco’s passing in 2013, his son Jacopo and grandson Tancredi continued the family legacy, maintaining the Biondi Santi tradition of crafting elegant, long-lived wines that are revered worldwide for their quality and heritage.
The spring of 2004 was cold and wet, while June, July, and August were warm and dry with significant temperature variations and regular rainfall. September remained dry. Harvesting began on September 20th in cool, dry conditions. The 2004 Brunello was made using their proprietary clone of Sangiovese Grosso, BBS11 (Brunello Biondi Santi 11), selected by Biondi-Santi at Tenuta Greppo in the 1970s. For this vintage, only grapes from 10 to 25-year-old vines were used. The wine was aged for 3 years in Slavonian oak barrels, followed by extended bottle aging.
