Passing By: Maralli and Blanchard of Castello Banfi

When two of the top marketing persons of a big Tuscan producer come to India from two different parts of the world, you know the producer smells blood and understands the growing importance of a tough but potentially lucrative market and the advantage it will have with a bit of more marketing support. I had already met Guillaume who was visiting India for the fourth time but I did not know Rodolfo who has not been to India before and I did not get to meet him during my visit to Castello Banfi a few years ago.

Courtyard at Lodhi

Courtyard at The Lodhi was in a show-off mode today. With two long tables covered nicely with elegant canopies, one could see and appreciate beautiful and elegant table settings for a total of 14 seats on each side. Hundreds of low level light bulbs arranged alongside the long water body were all lit up, as if stars had come to the ground to honour the occasion.

Shortly after every one had a glass of bubbly in hand, Vikram Singh, the suave and natty General manager (of 1200 Hermes Ties fame!) appeared from nowhere on a white horse, with a bottle of champagne in one hand and a sabre in the other- as if to announce that the dinner was served. Applauded by the crowd, he obliged with an encore, before sitting down next to me on the empty chair at the dining table. More about our chat in another Article... but back to Castello Banfi and Castelli di Poggio Alle Mura.

Castello Banfi

You cannot talk of Brunello di Montalcino without the big, powerful and influential Castello Banfi which is indirectly associated with the history of the modern history of Brunello. Its perhaps the biggest family-owned wine producer in Tuscany with the Estate owning 2830 hAs (about 7,000A) of which around 850 hA are planted with grapes. Almost half the vine surface (400hA) has the most planted grape of Italy Sangiovese 60% of which is grown in Tuscany, says Rodolfo who says the Banfi wines are exported to 85 countries.

Through Castello di Poggio Alle Mura, the estate bought by the Italian-American Mariani family in 1983 they have been involved in the founding of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino (the professional Association of the Montalcino producers) in 1966 when the iconic Italian wine was allowed the DOC status, the year when the wine appellation system was introduced in Italy.  The previous owners were the founding members of the Consorzio. Brunello was elevated to the docg status in 1980.

Guillaume tells me that 10 million bottles are produced every year (making it the size of Sula Vineyards in India in volume, not the value!)  including Le Rime which was the first wine poured-a blend that tasted of 60% Pinot Grigio and 40% Chardonnay. An easy drinking blend, this is one of the entry level wines that are made from sourced grapes and along with Col di Sasso form the biggest selling wines in their portfolio. This was the only wine which was served a bit too warm, accentuating the bitterness of Pinot Grigio in the blend. Guillaume shared with me that about half a million bottles of Brunello di Montalcino (40,000 cases), and only 50,000 bottles of  Poggio Alle Mura and 40,000 bottles of Summus for a part of the total wines sold.

Summus Tuscany igt

Sitting next to me at the dinner table, Guillaume also tells me that  Summus was first released in 1985 as a DOC Sant’Antimo (this is a DOC Classification in Montalcino, also controlled by the Consorzio and allows several international grape varieties; but it has not been very popular overseas perhaps overshadowed by the iconic Brunello). Castello Banfi apparently felt too constrained with the rules of the appellation and like a few other reputed producers in Tuscany, de-classified it as a table wine (Vino di Tavola) in 1989. A new law in the early 1990’s allowed it to be classified as an IGT wine. A blend of almost equal portion of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese and 25% Shiraz, this wine was an interesting, full bodied wine full of red fruit including cherries and plums and spices, body and concentration.

Poggio Alle Mura Brunello di Montalcino

Banfi Brunello di Montalcino is the most popular version out of the 4 Brunello variants they produce. The 2012 was a very good vintage and it showed on the palate-very elegant and medium-to-full bodied wine that went well with Pasta, Risotto and the Lamb. But Poggio was distinctly more pleasing to the palate when compared to the regular Brunello. Reason? It was fuller, more concentrated, more powerful and yet elegant on the palate with evern more structure.

It’s important to know that both wines are in the same classification. Poggio Alle Mura is from a single vineyard close to the Castello Poggio Alle Mura, now called Castello Banfi-and grapes have been grown with special clonal selection. Aging process in the wood is also slightly more oak-driven-using fresh new French oak. Yield is also slightly lower making it slightly more expensive-In Delhi it sells for around Rs. 9000 whereas Banfi Brunello is cheaper at around Rs. 7000, as Madhulika Bhattacharya who runs La Cave tells me.

Chianti Classico docg

Chianti Classico is again a high volume selling product, but it barely held its own in front of the other three iconic wines tonight. It was interesting to learn that the Chianti Classico (with a Black Rooster seal on the neck) wines are allowed to be vinified in the Montalcino plant- a rare exception. As Rodolfo explains, the grandfather clause, which allows old wineries to continue their practice of vinification outside the classified zone if the producers were making the wine before the law became effective. This means that since Chianti Classico was being produced in Montalcino before 1966, it would be allowed to continue at the same location.

 The food, the ambience, the wines were really excellent yesterday-one cannot say the same about the service with conviction. Due to the huge popularity of the event at a reasonable price (Rs. 4,500++), there was apparently unprecedented rush and the number became unmanageably high, making a dent into their service armour. But the ambience and the venue made up for most of the irritants in service.

Congratulations to The Lodhi which has been declared the No. 2 Best Hotel in the world a couple of weeks ago by Conde Nast Traveller magazine's Readers Choice.

 You can buy all the 5 wine at La Cave in Saket. If you like to taste theme at the source, head for Montalcino, stay at the newly furnished Il Borgo, eat at their fabulous restaurant La Taverna and check out the beautiful Enoteca with the souvenir shop, with breathless views of the valley on one side. Who knows, if you run into Rodolfo, he may quietly slip in a word at the counter-and you may get an unexpected 20% discount at the Enoteca- like I did!

For a few related Earlier Articles, please visit:

Anteprime Toscane: The Tuscan Marathon 2017

Controversial Brunello Case Closed

Brunello di Montalcino Rules Unchanged

Seized Brunello Wine Released

Gaja Supports Two-Tier System for Brunello

Why US barred the Tuscan King

Brunello Clouds Clearing

Brunello Producer questioned for Fraud

Subhash Arora

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