Pian dell’Orino Piandorino 2019

Pian dell’Orino sits on the southeastern slope of Montalcino, sharing a boundary with the Il Greppo vineyards of Biondi Santi. Same hill, same galestro and clay, same exposure. Caroline Pobitzer and Jan Hendrik Erbach planted their first vines here in 1998. Their dedication to the property and the grapes grown there shines through in the wines they make.

The estate holds just five and a half hectares of Sangiovese, farmed biodynamically from the start and among the first estates in Montalcino to be certified. It isn’t a talking point for them. It is simply how the work gets done.

Their Brunellos have become some of the most sought after bottles on the hill. Antonio Galloni put the 2019 Bassolino di Sopra among his top wines of the vintage. Production across the whole estate is tiny, and the allocation follows.

Piandorino is the estate’s Toscana Rosso, grown on the parcels closest to the house and cellar. Pure Sangiovese, native yeasts, a long rest in large oak casks. Same technique as the Brunello, just bottled sooner.

The 2019 is a classic vintage. Sour cherry, dried orange peel, tobacco leaf, and a streak of iron. Fine dusty tannin, bright acid, a finish that keeps going.