“Elegance to the test”: Casisano at Benvenuto Brunello 2019
From Friday 15th to Monday 18th February in Montalcino
the new vintages from the prestigious Tuscan denomination will be on show
“Elegance to the test” is the central theme of the 2019 edition of Benvenuto Brunello 2019. Elegance is also the leitmotiv of Casisano’s wines. The estate’s particular south-easterly exposure and its altitude (the property includes 22 hectares under vine at over 500 meters above sea level) allow for gradual and complete ripening of the grapes, without excessive water stress and with thermal excursions that give the wines great balance and satisfying aromatic qualities, as well as fine tannins: the very essence of Elegance.
During Benvenuto Brunello, Emiliano Falsini, the chief winemaker at Casisano, will present – along with Giancarlo Tommasi – the new vintages from the Estate: Rosso di Montalcino 2017 and Colombaiolo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2013. The 2014 Brunello was not produced, but Casisano’s 2015 Brunello is now being prepared: a wine that will finally mark the start of the vintages made by the Tommasi family in Montalcino, with the precious cooperation of Emiliano Falsini in the winery.
«The 2013 vintage can be considered an excellent year for the wines of Casisano: wines that are perfect representatives of our style, with Sangiovese that expresses itself to the full in terms of elegance, finesse and minerality» states Giancarlo Tommasi, chief enologist of Tommasi Family Estates. «The Colombaiolo Riserva, which comes from our highest vineyard with the best exposure, combines in the 2013 version all of the typical characteristics of this Cru: freshness, tanginess and excellent length of flavor. It is a wine that is already able to give anyone tasting it great satisfaction but which, over the years, will fully express the potential of Sangiovese from this zone of Montalcino».
Emiliano Falsini underlines: «The 2017 vintage was characterized by a very cold, dry winter and then by a spring with weather conditions that reduced yields in some of our vineyards. Subsequently, the summer was hot, with long dry periods. Soil and canopy management were very helpful in allowing us to harvest the grapes from the last week in September until 10th October. The vines were very healthy and showed no problems connected with any scarcity of water. The 2017 Rosso di Montalcino is a generous, very appealing version, with typical fruity notes. It is a wine with excellent structure and great freshness on the palate, due to the layout of the vineyards. Already in this first stage of its evolution it expresses all of the aging potential that this wine will have, in one of the finest versions in recent years».
Casisano is an important and prestigious project, and one that is particularly close to the Tommasi family’s hearts: their precise intention to maintain and enhance the uniqueness and typical qualities of the Montalcino denomination has led to ever more meticulous controls from the vine to the bottle, thus obtaining outstanding results from wine critics around the world. Casisano today produces around 100,000 bottles a year, of which 45,000 are of Brunello. The goal is to keep on making improvements, and create a product that will in due course become a touchstone for quality both in Italy and – especially – in foreign markets, where Brunello is one of the most sought-after wines and an icon of Italian class par excellence.
The acquisition of Casisano in 2015 represents the culmination of the Tommasi Family Estates project, launched in 1997 with the entry into the company of the fourth generation of the family. This has been a process of growth and development in Italy’s outstanding wine production regions, pursued with determination by the family and marked by considerable investments in the areas making top-quality wines.
Podere Casisano is one of the estates of which the Tommasi family, historic vine-growers and producers in the Valpolicella Classica zone near Verona, is particularly fond.
It is a splendid natural terrace at 480 meters above sea level and overlooks the south-eastern zone of the Montalcino region, facing Sant’Angelo in Colle and the Abbey of Sant’Antimo. The soils are composed of sandstone rocks and galestro (schistous clay), containing stones, clay and tuff of volcanic origin. The total area is 53 hectares, of which 22 are vineyards (producing Brunello and Rosso) and 12 are olive groves. The microclimate is well-ventilated and dry, with excellent differences between day- and night-time temperatures; this contributes towards creating the ideal conditions for maintaining the health of the grapes. The wines made here are elegant and have an excellent balance of richly-structured fruit and acidity.
