Tasting with Tancredi Biondi Santi the Wines of Castello di Montepò di Jacopo Biondi Santi, the Maremma Estate of the Biondi Santi family, which is at the Origin of the Brunello di Montalcino, at Chain Bridge Cellars, McLean, VA, USA (August 2026)

Following our amazing Tuscany Wine Tour earlier this year (Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Super Tuscans, Maremma, Bolgheri), I had the chance to meet Tancredi Biondi Santi from the famous Biondi Santi family at Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean, Virginia.

 

See: Tuscany - Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Super Tuscans, Maremma, Bolgheri - 2026 by ombiasy Wine Tours, led by Annette Schiller (Summery, June 8-18) 

 

The Biondi Santi family is at the origin of Brunello di Montalcino: It was Clemente Santi who, in 1869, first received recognition for a wine called Brunello, produced in 1865. Clemente’s grandson, Ferruccio Biondi-Santi, who united the family names, isolated the superior Sangiovese Grosso clone (BBS11), and officially produced the first benchmark Brunello di Montalcino Riserva in 1888. French luxury holding group EPI of the Descours family bought the legendary Brunello di Montalcino producer from the Biondi-Santi family starting in 2017.

 

Tancredi Biondi Santi poured the wines of Castello di Montepò di Jacopo Biondi Santi, the Maremma estate of the Biondi Santi family: Our 620 hectare estate sits fully isolated in the hills of southern Tuscany, on the Galestro soils of the Maremma. At the heart of everything we produce is BBS11, the clonal selection of Sangiovese Grosso discovered by the Biondi Santi family in Montalcino and brought here to Montepò. It is the unique patrimony of the family and the genetic backbone of the estate, the source of the structure, depth, and longevity that define these wines.

 

Inviation - Description of Tasting (Chain Bridge Cellars)   Your name is Tancredi Biondi Santi.  Your great-great-grandfather Ferruccio Biondi Santi essentially invented Brunello di Montalcino in the 1800s and isolated the benchmark Sangiovese Grosso BBS 11 clone that defines Biondi Santi Brunello to this day.  For three generations after, through your father Jacopo's tenure, your family kept Biondi Santi a benchmark. And you ran the estate to great success until it was passed on to new owners in 2020.   What do you do for an encore? You join your dad in creating what Wine Advocate calls "an icon estate of the Tuscan Coast." And start creating something you think will be even better than Brunello di Montalcino!

There's a lot more to the story than that, so come hear Castello di Montepo director Tancredi Biondi Santi tell it while sharing five terrific Marema wines!  He'll pour: Castello di Montepo Toscana Rosato JeT 2025 - Delightfully easy rose from very grand grapes - 100% Sangiovese BBS11, the clone that built Biondi Santi! Castello di Montepo Toscana Sassoalloro 2024 - Also 100% Sangiovese BBS 11, made red and aged in un-toasted French oak to maximize freshness and immediate delight. Castello di Montepo Morellino di Scansano DOCG 2022 - Here a 5% dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon cranks up the richness and color a bit while keeping the tannins supple and fresh.  Castello di Montepo Toscana Sassoalloro Oro 2022 - The estate's top wine from the finest plots of BS 11 Sangiovese; rich, deep and very long. Tancredi's dad, Jacopo, believes this slice of the Tuscan Coast is the right place to create a new evolution of Brunello's famous Sangiovese Grosso. As Tancredi has said, "My father thinks of Montepò as the perfect meeting point between Bolgheri and Montalcino." We think tasting these wines, you'll agree.  The class is free - just sign up for your 45 minute tasting slot now and come follow Biondi Santi beyond Brunello! Tancredi Biondi Santi (linked-in) I lead commercial strategy and export for Castello di Montepò di Jacopo Biondi Santi, the Maremma estate of the Biondi Santi family. Our 620 hectare estate sits fully isolated in the hills of southern Tuscany, on the Galestro soils of the Maremma. At the heart of everything we produce is BBS11, the clonal selection of Sangiovese Grosso discovered by the Biondi Santi family in Montalcino and brought here to Montepò. It is the unique patrimony of the family and the genetic backbone of the estate, the source of the structure, depth, and longevity that define these wines. I work with importers, distributors, and on-trade partners worldwide, bringing our wines to serious collectors and leading restaurants across every major market, and I work directly with private clients. If you are a buyer, sommelier, or collector drawn to structured Tuscan Sangiovese and back vintages, I am glad to connect. Based between Tuscany and New York. Tasting  Castello di Montepo Toscana Rosato JeT 2025 - Delightfully easy rose from very grand grapes - 100% Sangiovese BBS11, the clone that built Biondi Santi! $32.99 Castello di Montepo Toscana Sassoalloro 2024 - Also 100% Sangiovese BBS 11, made red and aged in un-toasted French oak to maximize freshness and immediate delight. $42.99 From the wild Mediterranean landscape of Tuscany’s Maremma, Sassoalloro is named in honor of a mysterious and legendary volcanic boulder on the grounds of the estate. It’s fitting, as this wine is made from 100% BBS11, the legendary Brunello clone of Sangiovese exclusively owned by the Biondi Santi family. It’s aged in un-toasted French oak for a little more early-drinking freshness and approachability, resulting in a wine with savory iron and earth flavors that underpin fresh currant and strawberry. Let it breathe a bit while you plan your next Tuscan vacation.  Castello di Montepo Morellino di Scansano DOCG 2022 - Here a 5% dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon cranks up the richness and color a bit while keeping the tannins supple and fresh. $46.99  In the mood for some powerful Italian wine from Tuscany’s “Wild West”? In the picturesque coastal Maremma region of Western Tuscany, Morellino is the historic local name for Sangiovese. In this wine’s case, we have the famous BBS11 clone of Sangiovese Grosso with a  5% dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon to crank up the richness and color a bit while keeping the tannins supple and fresh. A great example of why proprietor Jacopo Biondi-Santi describes the estate as the “perfect meeting point between Bolgheri and Montalcino." Big, bone dry, savory, and brimming with fresh red berry fruit.    Castello di Montepo Toscana Sassoalloro Oro IGT 2022 - The estate's top wine from the finest plots of BS 11 Sangiovese; rich, deep and very long. $86.99 The culmination of years of research performed by Tancredi Biondi Santi and his father Jacopo to determine the Castello’s finest vineyard plots. This is the estate's top bottling, and boy, does the effort show in this wine’s richness and seriousness. 100% Biondi Santi-clone Sangiovese Grosso from older vines that spends a year and change in French oak barrels as well as large traditional botti. 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