Brunello di Montalcino (1980)

About this wine

This 1980 Brunello di Montalcino from Tenute Silvio Nardi is 100 percent Sangiovese and has moved into pronounced tertiary character with dried red cherry, leather, tobacco and forest floor notes. The nose also shows late spice and toasted hints that reflect the wines time in large Slavonian oak casks during aging. On the palate it is medium to full bodied with a smooth but structured texture, persistent acidity, and tannins that feel dense and velvety even at this stage. The wine originates from the Casale del Bosco and Manachiara estate vineyards that the producer blends to make its classic Brunello. Vinification for this bottling follows the estate practice of extended maceration and fermentation, and the standard Brunello maturation includes lengthy aging in large oak followed by bottle rest, which contributes to the wines layered complexity and longevity.

About the grape

This Brunello is built entirely from local Sangiovese, the Grosso biotype known in Montalcino as Brunello, a Tuscan grape with roots dating back centuries and prized here for structure and longevity. Under the Nardi estate the variety has been carefully studied and propagated into five house clones, and vines are grown at moderate elevations around Casale del Bosco and Manachiara on varied soils including clay, schist and jasper. In practice the estate favors low yields, careful clonal matching to specific parcels, and hand harvesting with controlled fermentations to express the Sangiovese material typical of Brunello production.

Quick facts

• 🏛️ The 1980 vintage is from the very year Brunello di Montalcino received its first DOCG designation, making this bottle part of a landmark moment for the appellation.
• 🚜 Silvio Nardi was an agricultural machinery entrepreneur who bought Casale del Bosco in 1950, he was one of the first outsiders to invest in Montalcino and helped shape modern Brunello.
• 🏺 Casale del Bosco sits on land with Etruscan roots, so a bottle from this estate can trace its heritage back to a site with centuries of history.
• 🌱 The estate later developed five proprietary Sangiovese clones named Tenute Silvio Nardi 1 through 5, making their wines a curated expression of Sangiovese genetics.
• 🌄 Tenute Silvio Nardi farms vineyards on opposite slopes called Casale del Bosco and Manachiara, so older Brunellos from the estate capture two very different sun exposures and personalities.

Palate profile

Producer

Tenute Silvio Nardi began when Silvio Nardi purchased the Casale del Bosco estate near Montalcino in 1950 and produced his first Brunello vintage in 1954. The family expanded with the purchase of the Manachiara estate in 1962 and helped found the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino in 1967. Over subsequent decades the estate introduced clonal selection, zoning and scientific research while continuing traditional winemaking, creating single vineyard bottlings such as Poggio Doria and Manachiara. Today the property comprises multiple plots across two slopes in Montalcino and remains family owned, known for age worthy Sangiovese based Brunello and Rosso bottlings.