A selection of 100% Sangiovese grapes grown in the oldest vineyards, near the centre of the estate (400 m above sea level) are used only in absolutely exceptional years to create Riserva Pian di Conte. The south-easterly exposed soils are made up of sandy loam and plenty of heavy stone. The wine ages in 500-litre French oak tonneaux and 15 to 25-Hl Slavonian oak barrels for at least 24 months, followed by a period of bottle ageing.

www.talentimontalcino.it

In the 1950's Pierluigi Talenti moved from Romagna to the gently rolling and sunny hills of Montalcino. After a few years, he decided to acquire the estate and all its lands he had fallen in love with. Through the years, he devoted his time to the clonal research of Sangiovese all over Montalcino, taking his wines to the highest levels of quality. Today, his grandson Riccardo Talenti runs the winery and continues that research with the utmost respect for tradition, working with the very same passion and determination. The estate has been developed around an old farm called “Pian di Conte”, not far from Sant’Angelo in Colle, on the southern slope of the municipality of Montalcino, which has been restructured and expanded over the years. The property occupies an area of 40 hectares, among vineyards, olive groves, orchards and seed crops, surrounded by age-old holm-oak woods, characteristic of the Montalcino area. The vineyards are divided into eleven different plots, each with different altitude, exposure and soil composition, creating red wines that are incredibly complex and profound. We have always had a passion for the cultivation of olives which are a very traditional element within the Tuscan landscape. We grow the Correggiolo and Moraiolo varieties, from which a bright green and intensely scented oil is extracted.

• Sangiovese

  A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.
  It is a high yielding, late ripening grape that performs best on well-drained calcareous soils on south-facing hillsides. For years it was blighted by poor clonal selection and massive overcropping - however since the 1980s the quality of Sangiovese-based wines has rocketed upwards and they are now some of the most sought after in the world.
  
  It produces wines with pronounced tannins and acidity, though not always with great depth of colour, and its character can vary from farmyard/leather nuances through to essence of red cherries and plums. In the 1960s the advent of Super Tuscans saw bottlings of 100% Sangiovese wines, as well as the introduction of Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blends, the most famous being Tignanello.