| Region of production: | Brunello di Montalcino |
| Winery Location: | Montalcino |
| Year Established: | 1970 |
Vineyard Holdings
44 ha
- Montosoli: 5 ha; soil is marl and siliceous limestone
- Altesino
- Macina
- Castelnuovo dell’Abate
- Pianezzine
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli: exclusively from the Montosoli vineyard, made only in exceptional years; aged for four years in Slavonian oak and Allier barrique, followed by at least four months in bottle. Inaugural vintage 1975.
- Brunello di Montalcino Riserva: aged for five years in Slavonian oak and four months in bottle. Inaugural vintage 1977.
- Brunello di Montalcino: aged for four years in Slavonian oak and four months in bottle. Inaugural vintage 1972.
- Rosso di Montalcino: Inaugural vintage 1973.
- Palazzo Altesi: 100% Sangiovese, fermented in steel with partial carbonic maceration, then aged in barrique for one year. Inaugural vintage 1989.
- Alte d’Altesi: blend of equal parts Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, aged for one year in barrique
- Rosso: 80% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot aged for six months in tank and three months in barrique
Average Total Production
- 216,000 bottles
Summary
Giulio Consonno purchased the Altesino property from the noble Tricerchi family in 1970 and proceeded to restructure the house and cellars for a winery. Consonno also pushed to modernize the wine industry locally, leading the Altesino estate to a number of “firsts” in the area: Altesino was the first producer in Montalcino to offer a cru wine—its flagship Montosoli bottling was the first single-vineyard Brunello in 1975; Altesino was also the first to introduce and offer “futures” in Brunello, actively selling the 1985 Brunello before its release. In addition, the estate pioneered barrique-aging in 1979 for a number of modern IGT wines introduced within its portfolio. After Consonno’s death, Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini (owner of the neighboring Carpazo estate) bought the estate in 2002 and has further invested in cellar upgrades and vineyard expansion.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Altesino is vocal about their commitment to innovation and modernization in winemaking, which has been led since its inception by winemaker Claudio Basala. Basala does however prefer to make traditionally styled Brunello wines in large, neutral oak casks. Wines ferment in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks (lasting 10-15 days for the Brunello), then follow aging as outlined above.
Producer Website: Altesino