2019 San Polino Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
San Polino makes a Riserva only in the vintages that deserve one, and 2019 — the finest Montalcino has seen
Producer
San Polino
I have reviewed three wines from San Polino, from the 2019 to 2021 vintages, all from Brunello di Montalcino. All are Sangiovese. Scores range from 96 to 97, averaging 96; the highest is the 2019 San Polino Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (97 points). San Polino also features in three journal articles on this site.
In the early 1990s Luigi “Gigi” Fabbro and Katia Nussbaum found San Polino, an abandoned homestead near Montalcino with 600-year-old olive trees on sun-baked rocky slopes, no water, no electricity and no chemicals: untouched nature. They built not a typical wine estate but a community, now shared with their sons Daniel and Giulio and the Gjilaska brothers Avni, Mariano and Altin, who treat vines, trees and people as equally important.
San Polino adopted organic and biodynamic farming before it was fashionable and is a pioneer of sustainable viticulture in Montalcino. Forests are protected, wild herbs grow between the rows, and trees are planted among the vines to regenerate the soil’s fungal networks, an approach they call Deep Vitiforestry. Grapes are picked by hand, fermented with the cellar’s native yeasts, aged in large Slavonian botti and French barrique, and bottled by hand.
The northern vineyards give Brunello and Rosso of deep, classic flavour; the high south-eastern vineyards, on lean, rocky soils shaped by ancient volcanoes and seas, give wild aromatics and the Brunello “Helichrysum”, named after the golden elicriso flowers on the hills. The 2019 Brunello is silky and lifted, with cherry, rose petal and orange peel over cedar, leather and crushed stone.
2021 San Polino Brunello di Montalcino
In 1991, Luigi Fabbro, a Friulian, and his English wife Katia Nussbaum bought an abandoned hill southeast of Montalcino with
2021 Brunello di Montalcino – Vintage Report
If 2019 was operatic and 2020 was sunny, 2021 is the year of transparency. This is a vintage that vibrates with energy, defined by significant diurnal shifts that locked in soaring aromatics and “al dente” fruit profiles. Moving away from sheer muscle, the 2021 Brunellos are architectural and nervy, showcasing a savory, saline grip that speaks clearly of the Montalcino soil. For the collector who values elegance and tension over weight, this is a sophisticated, “intellectual” vintage that promises a fascinating evolution in the cellar.
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2019 San Polino Brunello Di Montalcino
San Polino is my favorite Direct Import Brunello producer. And 2019 was one of the most exceptional vintages ever produced.
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You have not really lived until you have tasted Barolo at 9am, had six espressos before noon, rush through Vinitaly
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