Producer · Tuscany, Italy

Costanti

The Costanti family have been in Montalcino since the sixteenth century, which makes them one of the oldest landowning families in a zone now famous the world over. In 1870 Tito Costanti showed a wine he called Brunello at an exhibition in Siena, which puts the family among the handful who effectively created the category. Andrea Costanti took over in the early 1980s and has built the estate steadily into one of the most respected names in the appellation.

The vineyards sit high on the hill just below the town, and the winemaking is traditional: long fermentations and large old Slavonian casks rather than new oak. Alongside Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino, the estate makes a Merlot-based red from a small plot of international varieties. Costanti is a traditional house that knows its hillside well, and the wines show it.

Winery at Montalcino, Tuscany · Sangiovese · £129.95 a bottle