Cellar Visit: San Guglielmo, Montalcino, Italy
On a recent trip to Italy, our Wine Buyer David Grant visited a dozen of our incredible producers. We'll be highlighting each over the next couple of months. He’s written about Poggio al Tesoro, San Polo and Tassi, and now San Guglielmo.
Over to David…
Tucked away, down a dirt road you’re sure will not take you where you want to go, is San Guglielmo, a producer you should be more familiar with. I’m not sure how they fly under the radar – it’s perhaps that their size doesn’t mean there’s a lot of bottles around to try – but let this be the sign you need to pay more attention!
The story begins with Guglielmo, one of the founding members of the consortium of Brunello, and today is realised by his granddaughter Ilaria, and her husband Mike (pictured below, centre and right with Illaria’s father, left).
It’s a small family business and, according to these three, it cannot be otherwise; it is their land, their vineyard, their heritage. All phases of the wine's production from the vineyard to the cellar and bottling are given their maximum personalised attention. Sustainable production is our constant pursuit.
Illaria and Mike’s winemaking philosophy is rooted in a balance between tradition and innovation. They employ time-honoured techniques to respect the historical legacy of Montalcino wines while integrating modern practices to enhance quality and sustainability. The estate meticulously manages its vineyards, ensuring that each grape reaches optimal ripeness before harvest. This careful attention to detail continues in the cellar, where wines are aged in oak barrels to develop their distinctive complexity and depth.
Their historical, wild vineyard is located 400m above sea level and is, as you can see above, in the shape of a heart. There is the view of the city of Siena, together with the sea breeze that rises from the west and gets mixed, full of suggestion with the sylvan scent of the nearby woods.
The wines of San Guglielmo
In addition to their award-winning Brunello di Montalcino, San Guglielmo produces other notable wines, including a fantastic Rosso di Montalcino and various IGT Toscana wines, each reflecting the winery's commitment to excellence.
Did I buy one of everything? Yes, yes I did.
Bright, flint ruby red. Bright and juicy on the palate, with hearty, tight tannins and polished red berry fruit, medium length. Drinks well now and will age well for another few years.
Red and black fruits with leather, pepper, spice, cedar and tobacco. Hearty but balanced and highly enjoyable drinking. Will continue to age well.
Luscious red fruits with medium acid. Fresh, earthy. An absolutely delicious Rosso that will age beautifully, and is also delicious now. We bought a bottle to enjoy that evening with dinner, and another to cellar and see how it develops.
Stay tuned for the next instalment of this series, with notes from David’s visit to Biondi Santi!
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