Increasingly rare in the market, the 2010 Brunellos deserve every bit of their acclaim. As Kerin O’Keefe has written, the top producers “made fantastic 2010 Brunellos” displaying “rich fruit flavors, freshness and powerful tannins.”
 
But capturing all of Brunello’s magic in 2010 wasn’t a given. It required both skill and the understanding, born of long experience.
 
One producer who did capture the magic was the venerable estate of Poggio Antico. Through traditional methods, applied to one of Montalcino’s greatest terroirs, Poggio Antico made the most of this historic year.
 
If you’re at all passionate about Brunello, you’ll want to grab this.
 
Back Story
Thirty-five years ago Giancarlo Gloder got his start in Montalcino, acquiring an ancient estate midway between the towns of Montalcino and Sant’Angelo in Colle.
 
It was a purchase that proved Gloder a shrewd judge of Montalcino terroir. At 450 meters, the Poggio Antico vineyards are at one of the highest elevations in Montalcino, opening them to the gentle breezes off the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The slopes themselves are south- through southwest-facing, of poor, rocky galestro albarese soil—ideal for Brunello. Furthermore, the property can count Soldera’s Case Basse and Pieve di Santa Restituta as two of its nearest neighbors.
 
And with a documented history back to the early 19th century, it’s clear this site has long been revered as perfect for growing grapes. The ideal exposure and high altitude ensure wide daily temperature swings and a slow and thorough grape maturation.
 
Gloder’s daughter Paola took charge of Poggio Antico in 1987 and with Paolo Vagaggini, one of Montalcino’s most respected enologists, created an approach that makes the most of this special terroir.
 
The vines, averaging 40 years of age, are severely pruned to restrict yields and see an exceptionally long growing season. In the cellar, fermentation takes place in stainless steel, with a unique method of pushing down the cap for thorough, but gentle, extraction. The wine is then aged for a full three years in Slovenian oak botti, followed by a year in bottle before release.
 
The 2010 Poggio Antico ranks among this historic vintage’s finest traditionally made Brunellos. Above all, it offers a pure expression of a unique terroir. Rich, yet elegant and perfumed, it nonetheless has the classic structure for long aging.
 
If you love great Brunello, you’ll want this in your cellar.