Brunello di Montalcino Riserva (1985)

About this wine

This is a Brunello di Montalcino Riserva made from Sangiovese Grosso grown at Tenuta Il Greppo and aged for extended periods in large Slavonian oak casks and bottle before release. The nose shows concentrated sour cherry, dried rose petal, cedar and savory herbal notes with nuances of tobacco and underbrush. On the palate the wine is structured and focused, with bright, mouthwatering acidity and powdery tannins that give a firm, almost iron edged backbone. Flavors follow the nose with dried red fruit, black tea, orange peel and a saline mineral thread that keeps the finish lively and long. The 1985 Riserva is one of the historic Biondi Santi library releases kept in the estate cellar called La Storica and it has been noted for extraordinary longevity and continued evolution decades after vintage.

About the grape

This wine is made entirely from Sangiovese Grosso, the local Brunello clone that has been cultivated around Montalcino for centuries as the region s signature grape. Biondi Santi famously selected and propagated its own clone, often referred to by the estate as BBS11, and continues to use massale selection from older vine parcels for concentration and longevity. Their vineyards at Il Greppo sit on a mix of clay rich soils, galestro and limestone at varied altitudes around 250 to 450 metres, and the vines are managed with traditional low yield practices and long hang times to ripen the thick skinned Sangiovese berries. In this bottling the estate historically reserved the oldest vines for Riserva lots and matured wine first in large Slavonian oak casks before extended bottle ageing to allow the varietal s structure and tannic backbone to develop.

Quick facts

• 🏛️ The 1985 Riserva was issued as a special commemorative ‘La Storica’ release tied to Biondi‑Santi’s centenary legend, so some bottles were individually numbered and treated like little museum pieces.
• 🛠️ This bottle spent decades in the winery’s ancient ‘La Storica’ vault and many examples were later re‑corked by the estate during cellar reconditioning, making surviving bottles living pieces of the winery’s upkeep story.
• ⏳ Critics still call the 1985 almost unnervingly youthful even after 30+ years — it earned near‑perfect scores and is famous for tasting vibrantly young when other wines of the same age have faded.
• 🌳 Biondi‑Santi only makes a Riserva in truly outstanding years and uses grapes from its oldest vines, so owning a 1985 Riserva is like owning a distilled snapshot of the estate’s finest vineyard stock.
• 🎯 The 1985 Riserva has become a hot collector’s trophy at auctions and specialist sales, often turning up in small, highly chased lots with provenance notes from Tenuta Il Greppo.

Palate profile

Producer

Biondi-Santi, established in 1865 by Ferruccio Biondi Santi in Montalcino, Italy, is renowned for creating Brunello di Montalcino, a prestigious red wine made exclusively from Sangiovese grapes. The winery's Il Greppo estate, located just southeast of Montalcino, spans 32 hectares of vineyards rich in galestro rock and marl soils, ideal for cultivating Sangiovese Grosso. Biondi-Santi has maintained traditional winemaking methods, including aging wines in large Slavonian oak casks, some over a century old, contributing to their exceptional longevity. In 2016, the French luxury group EPI acquired a majority stake in the winery, aiming to preserve its heritage while enhancing its global presence.