| Region of production: | Brunello di Montalcino |
| Winery Location: | Montalcino |
| Year Established: | 1978 |
Vineyard Holdings
958 ha planted to vine
- Poggio all Mura
- Poggio all’Oro
Top Wines Produced
- Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura Riserva: from 20-year-old vines near the Poggio alle Mura castle on the property
- Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura: 90% is aged for two years in French oak barriques, and 10% is aged in Slavonian oak casks, followed by blending and 12 months’ aging in bottle
- Brunello di Montalcino Poggio all’Oro: 100% Sangiovese from the eponymous vineyard; made only in exceptional years and aged in barriques for 30 months, then 12-18 months in bottle
- Brunello di Montalcino Castello Banfi: aged for two years in a combination of 350-liter barriques, 60-hl barrels and 120-hl barrels, then 8-12 months in bottle
- Rosso di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura: aged for 12 months in French oak barriques, then six months in bottle
- Rosso di Montalcino Castello Banfi: aged for 10-12 months in a combination of barriques and large barrels, then six months in bottle
- Belnero: mostly Sangiovese with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; aged in barriques (30% new) for 14 months
- *** Laude: 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 25% Sangiovese and 15% Syrah, vinified and aged separately for six months in barriques; the wine is then blended, aged for another six months in barriques and a final six months in bottle
- SummuS: 40% Sangiovese, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Syrah, vinified and aged separately for 12 months in barriques; the wine is then blended, aged for another 8-10 months in barriques and a final six months in bottle
- ExcelsuS: 60% Merlot with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, vinified and aged separately for 12 months in barriques; the wine is then blended and aged for another 8 months in barriques
Average Total Production
- N/A
Summary
In 1919, Giovanni F. Mariani Sr. founded his own French- and Italian-wine importing business, Banfi Vintners (named after his aunt, a passionate oenophile). It was Giovanni’s sons, John and Harry Mariani, who founded Castello Banfi (the Banfi estate in Montalcino) in 1978 with a goal of crafting premium Tuscan wines in a state-of-the-art facility. They hired enologist Ezio Rivella and today focus on Sangiovese as well as international varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Banfi maintains a focus on innovation through research on clones (all vineyards of Sangiovese are planted to a mix of three to four selected clones), wood for barrels (all are custom-made), and a “microvinification area” within the winery where they experiment with techniques to improve each phase of winemaking.
Style & Vinification Techniques
All grapes are hand-harvested and sorted twice – once by bunch and once by berry. Wines are vinified in customized tanks that are a hybrid of both steel and oak, and aged as outlined above in custom-made barrels.
Producer Website: Castello Banfi