Fattori Barbi Brunello Di Montalcino DOCG

The first Brunello imported in the USA, Fattoria dei Barbi is a historic estate that continues to be a pioneer in Tuscan wines. Barbi’s “Blue Label” Brunello is the heart of the estate’s production and its flagship bottling. The family has been producing Brunello from this vineyard since 1892, and the current label was designed by Giovanni Cinelli Colombini in 1958.

Manual harvest occurs at the end of September followed by a pre-fermentation cold maceration (“cold-soak”), which consists of cooling the grapes at a temperature of 3°-5 °C (37 – 41 °F) in an anaerobic environment (under a CO2 blanket) to protect the must from oxidation. This non-alcoholic, aqueous extraction results in an increased color intensity and stability, softer astringency and tannins and more body and aromatics. After 48 hours, the temperature is raised to 27°- 28 °C and alcoholic fermentation begins, lasting 16 -17 days. After racking and malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged in small-to-medium size oak barrels (225L – 15 hl) for the first months, followed by two years in larger 30HL Slavonian oak casks. The wine rests in bottle for four months before release.