Palazzo Rosso di Montalcino 2023

Palazzo is a small Montalcino estate run by the Loia Palazzo family, and this Rosso di Montalcino is a varietal Sangiovese from the same hills as Brunello. Sangiovese is a thin skinned, late ripening grape that thrives on the galestro and clay soils around Montalcino, where the warm Tuscan days and cool nights give it both ripeness and the high acidity and firm tannin that define the variety. The wine is aged for twelve months in large oak foudres rather than small barrels, a traditional choice that allows slow, gentle oxygen exchange to soften the tannins while adding very little oak flavour, so the fruit and the site stay in the foreground. Malolactic fermentation rounds the texture without blurring the wine's natural cut. In the glass it is bright ruby, showing sour cherry, redcurrant and plum on the nose with dried herbs, earth and a hint of liquorice. The palate is medium bodied, fresh and savoury, the acidity lively and the tannins firm but ripe, closing on a long, food friendly finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted, with Tuscan classics such as bistecca, grilled lamb and tomato rich pasta.