2015 Jacopo Biondi Santi Sassoalloro Toscana Tuscany 750 ml

The Biondi Santi clan is one of the most influential forces in Italy’s long winemaking history. They’re credited with inventing Brunello and have crafted some of the world’s best and most coveted expressions of Sangiovese. The name alone can inspire triple-digit checks from collectors and never fails to spark our wide-eyed anticipation.

Using the same proprietary Sangiovese Grosso clone responsible for the family’s legendary Brunellos, Jacopo Biondi Santi has crafted this majestic 2015 Sassoalloro, a 100% Sangiovese that had us singing the family's praises even louder. A rich and savory wine, its aromas gently lead you through dried roses, lavender, tobacco, and forest floor, arriving at a generous palate adorned with cherry, herbs, and gracious tannins.

The Biondi Santis have been called a “royal family,” a “first family,” and a “beacon for all that is traditional in Montalcino” by Vinous’ Antonio Galloni. But during their long winemaking tenure, they’ve been as much about pioneering traditions as they are about following them, developing new styles and techniques with peerless success. 

In that innovative spirit, Jacopo Biondi Santi spent ten years diligently researching soils, microclimates, and geography to find an ideal new location for the family’s trademark Sangiovese clone. He landed at the historic Castello di Montepò estate in the Maremma’s Morellino di Scansano—a region Wine Enthusiast called “perfectly suited to grape-growing” and Wine Spectator called “grape heaven.” Jacopo’s research paid off—Wine Advocate said his estate “makes some of the best wines of the area.”

Despite its excellent terroir and winemaking history, Scansano hasn’t been dancing under the wine world’s spotlight for centuries like Montalcino or Chianti Classico. That means that, although Morellino wines are absolutely worth top dollar, they can supremely over-deliver for the price. Case in point: This 2015 Sangiovese from a vaunted family and ideal terroir, the definition of value.  

Not to mention the landmark 2015 vintage in the Maremma, a year that earned the best score since 1998 from Wine Spectator, producing “ripe and opulent” wines. Employing his decades of experience, Jacopo Biondi Santi captured every drop of excellence from that historic growing season in his Sassoalloro. 

Castello di Montepò’s rocky Galestro soils are mineral-rich but nutrient-poor, producing low yields of grapes that are exceedingly rich in concentration and complexity. The region’s abundant sunshine and cool sea-breezes ensure consistent ripening and balanced acidity. The result is a robust and satisfying Sangiovese boasting more savory elements than its northern counterparts, and 14 months in French oak barriques only unlock further savory depths.