Description
In any context, Montalcino is worthy of its standing as one of the world’s great wine regions. We could wax poetic about the soil composition, the exposition, the specific variety of Sangiovese that ripens just right, balancing acid and rich, lush fruit. But the real story of Quercecchio is as much about people as it is place; and specifically, about one person: 85-year-old Maria-Grazia Salvioni and the remarkable history of her family’s estate, where wine has been made for more than 700 years.
Maria is the fifth generation of Salvionis to tend the property, a former Benedictine monastery whose winemaking roots stretch back to the 1300s. Historical documents called it a “convent with fields” belonging to the Monte Oliveto Maggiore monastery dating back to the late 14th and the late 17th century. Little has changed in the years since: the estate spreads over 150 hectares of woodlands, fields for pasture, crops, olive groves, and the scattered old buildings still bear noticeable markers of its religious past. Her small vineyards lie in Tavernelle, one of Montalcino’s most celebrated corners, surrounded by some of the region’s greatest names, including Soldera and the Gaja family’s Sugarille and Rennina vineyards. They sit at roughly 320 meters above sea level, south of Montalcino, on slopes descending toward the coastal Maremma. The mix of clay and sand, with the elevation, exposure and local microclimate, allow these old Sangiovese vines to reach full maturity while developing a balanced, aromatic complexity. Those elements, taken together, draw out the kind of tension winemakers dream of – dark, deeply concentrated fruit and lifted freshness meet in harmony.
Quercecchio’s Rosso di Montalcino feels like a glimpse into a bygone era of Tuscan winemaking, when Sangiovese was allowed to speak for itself and wines were defined by balance, character, and a profound sense of place. Expect haunting dark cherry and wild berry fruit, savory earth, firm but finely woven tannins, and an elegant suggestion of tobacco and tea leaf. Beneath its intensity lies a freshness and restraint that make the wine especially compelling, with none of the overworked polish that can obscure a vineyard’s natural character. Made in a traditional, understated spirit, this is Rosso di Montalcino for purists: soulful, unvarnished, and deeply rooted in its history. Normally $34 per bottle, the 2024 Quercecchio Rosso di Montalcino is now $30 on bottle one, and discounts to $27 on 6 bottles or $23 on the case. A perfect wine for the changing season and as a staple on your holiday table!