After our day of small producers, Friday was the turn of the big names. Heading in the same direction as Thursday – south of Siena and skirting around Grosseto, we arrived at Le Mortelle – part of the Antinori stable. Le Mortelle (or myrtle the evergreen shrub in English) was bought by Antinori in 1999 and as you might expect from such a famous wine family, they have invested heavily in the project. Vineyards were planted, a state of the art winery was carefully dug down and into the hill to maintain the environmental sensitivity and a restaurant was set up on site. It has beautiful aesthetics and a lovely sense of calm. Barbara hosted our visit and gave us detailed information on the formation of the estate and led us into the cavernous winery down the elegant spiral wooden staircase.
Our tasting was held in their stunning tasting room with a huge picture window overlooking part of their estate. A delicious Vermentino followed by a couple of reds and culminating in their super premium Ampio rounded off an excellent visit.
From Le Mortelle it was an hour’s drive to another big estate, but this time in Montalcino – the Banfi estate. Perched on top of a hill, the old 13th century castle Poggio Alla Mura, was acquired by the Banfi Estate in the USA in 1978 and subsequently renamed to Castello Banfi. Much to the dismay of the locals, huge renovations were done, vineyards reshaped and antagonism created. While of some of the earlier transgressions were subsequently regretted by the new owners, Banfi has become one of the most significant players in the Montalcino area with a huge winery providing employment, a hotel, two restaurants and an impressive Enoteca.
We arrived and headed straight for lunch in a private dining room with excellent views of the surrounding countryside. A delicious four course lunch ensued, paired with a top class selection of Chardonnay, Rosso di Montalcino, two vintages of Brunello di Montalcino and a sweet Moscadello di Montalcino. From lunch, we drove to their main winery and witnessed an extraordinary facility. State of the art stainless steel tanks, an incredible barrel cellar and a very funny German host who talked us through the various aspects of the winery.
A jolly good day!
