Brigante dei Barbi (1995)

About this wine

This 1995 Brigante dei Barbi comes from Fattoria dei Barbi in southern Tuscany, a historic Montalcino estate known for traditional Sangiovese based reds, here blended with a portion of Merlot to add suppleness and dark fruit tones. The color is now brick tinged ruby, showing its age in the rim while still holding a clear core. On the nose it offers mellow aromas of dried cherry, red currant and plum, layered with tobacco leaf, underbrush, autumn earth and a faint note of dried flowers, in line with how older vintages of Brigante have developed. On the palate it is medium bodied and silky, with resolved tannins, gentle acidity and flavors that echo the nose, moving from red berries and a touch of cedar into nuances of leather, tea and sweet spice as the wine opens in the glass. The finish is lingering and savory, with earthy tones and a faint memory of the youthful fruit that once dominated this Sangiovese and Merlot blend.

About the grape

Sangiovese is the ancient red grape of central Italy and has been grown in Tuscany since at least the Middle Ages, and at Fattoria dei Barbi it anchors the estate vineyards in Montalcino, Chianti and Scansano where it is planted densely at about five thousand vines per hectare on galestro and alberese rich soils at roughly three hundred to five hundred meters. In Brigante dei Barbi the estate uses Sangiovese from these elevated slopes to capture the grape’s natural acidity and firm structure while still keeping a more relaxed style than their Brunello and Chianti bottlings. Merlot comes originally from Bordeaux in France and reached Tuscany in the nineteenth century where it became a key partner in Super Tuscan blends because it ripens earlier than Sangiovese and gives generous color and supple tannin. For this 1995 Brigante dei Barbi bottling Merlot from the estate’s warmer parcels in southern Tuscany is blended with Sangiovese to soften the edges of the local grape and add depth so the wine can be approachable relatively early in its life while still reflecting Barbi’s traditional vineyard practices.

Quick facts

• 🧣 The name Brigante dei Barbi nods to the romantic figure of the Italian brigand or outlaw so the label quietly suggests a rebellious country side of Tuscany in a bottle
• 🎭 Although better known for long lived Brunello Fattoria dei Barbi created Brigante as a more playful Tuscan red that lets Sangiovese relax a little with softer Merlot charm
• 🏰 The same Colombini family that bottles Brigante has farmed these lands since the year 1352 so every sip connects you to more than six centuries of one estate history
• 🚪 Fattoria dei Barbi was one of the first Brunello estates to open its cellars to visitors back in the late nineteen fifties and Brigante continues that welcoming spirit as one of their most approachable reds
• 🌱 The estate ran early organic farming experiments in the nineteen sixties and that research later influenced how grapes for wines like Brigante are grown with special care for healthy soils and biodiversity

Palate profile

Producer

Fattoria dei Barbi, owned by the Colombini family since 1790, is located in Montalcino, Italy. The Colombinis have been present in Montalcino since 1352, and the winery has been producing Brunello di Montalcino since 1892. Notably, Fattoria dei Barbi was the first to export Brunello to America in 1962 and to Japan in 1975. The estate spans over 350 hectares, with vineyards in Montalcino, Scansano, and Chianti, and has been open to the public for over 70 years, welcoming more than 1.5 million visitors to its historic cellars.