BIONDI SANTI

The Biondi-Santi family are the original champions of the legendary Brunello, the Sangiovese clone isolated in the 1800s by local farmer Clemente Santi that evolved into one of Italy’s rarest and most expensive wines, Brunello di Montalcino. Not ones to rush into things, the Biondi-Santis had by the end of WWII released only four vintages in 1888, 1891, 1925 and 1945. The residing Patriarch was, until recently, Franco Biondi-Santi, described intriguingly by his grand-daughter Clio as being ‘a hard man, but he has a good heart.’ In the way of families, Franco and son Jacopo parted company, not without acrimony. Now, sadly, the Patriarch is no longer with us, and Jacopo has returned to the fold to head up this historic and iconic family enterprise.