Wine Enthusiast

San Quirico d'Orcia is on the doorstep of Tuscanys most important region, Montalcino, recently producing some of the worlds best wines.

The important Tuscan vineyards fall into three distinct areas - Montalcino - producing the world's greatest Sangiovese , Chianti, between Florence and Siena, and Maremma, on the coast, where the Bolgheri DOC is home to Sassicaia - one of Italy's most famous wines.

Brunello di Montalcino is not a wine to be trifled with. It is the single most famous, highest-priced Italian red produced south of Milan. Often retailing at well over $60 a bottle, it is a potentially magnificent expression of Sangiovese grapes (known as Brunello here) ripened here in southern Tuscany, where the extra warmth and open slopes can give it an intensity, vibrancy and longevity rarely seen in the wines made in Chianti to the north. Brunello has long been the jewel in the crown of many an Italian wine list.

But much has changed recently in the Montalcino wine zone encompassing a greater variety of terroirs than one might expect for a virtual square 10 miles across. In the past 20 years, plantings have doubled to almost 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) while the amount of Brunello bottled has doubled in the past 10 years with an unprecedented amount currently maturing in even more cellars than ever. In 1990 there were just 87 producers of Brunello. Today there are 200.

Five of the Worlds top 30 wines, according to the 2006 Wine Spectator, are produced close of San Qurico d'Orcia.

Save up for wines from 2001, a nearly perfect vintage; the top Brunellos, Riservas, are now hitting the market.

Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova 2001 Brunello di Montalcino was awared top spot as 2006 "Wine of the Year". Its #1 on Wine Spectator's "Top 100" List

Wine Spectator: It's hard to think of a more concentrated, layered young Brunello, with aromas of crushed berries, treacle tart, light raisin, cofee and chocolate that follow effortlessly to the palate. Full-bodied, with chewy yet velvety tannins and a long, long finish. The wine develops wonderfully in the glass, getting frutier with every minute. A great wine with extraordinary depth. One of the greatest Brunellos of all time. Classic. Best after 2012. From Italy.--James Suckling.