Gianni Brunelli, a man of many interests, established one of Siena’s great restaurants, Osteria Le Logge, in 1977. In 1987, Gianni Brunelli returned to Montalcino and succeeded in fulfilling the dream of his family, buying back the old property of his father, “Le Chiuse di Sotto”. Brunelli replanted most of the vines in 1989, but left untouched a small plot of older holdings dating back to his father’s original 1947 plantings. After Gianni passed away in 2008, his wife Laura, who was already working at the estate, took the reins, along with Adriano Brunelli, Gianni Brunelli’s cousin.

The 4.5-hectare property sits at 520 meters above sea level and has a magnificent view of Monte Amiata. Podernovone’s soil is comprised of calcareous-marl and schist, which reflects light and heat, leading to a warmer site. “Le Chiuse di Sotto” on the other hand is a 2.5-hectare plot that’s cool and airy, bringing bright acidity to the blend. These two vineyard sites, all farmed organically, allow the Brunelli estate to blend north and south each year to achieve great balance, no matter what the vintage brings.

According to Laura Brunelli, the estate has been farmed organically since the beginning. As an alternative to pesticides, they use the sexual confusion method. In late July, a green harvest is performed in order to leave 7-8 bunches per vine. The vineyards are worked manually throughout the growing cycle – each 1ha of vines requires over 400 hours of work.  Selected yeasts are used for fermentation; malolactic occurs naturally.