Guy Woodward investigates Italy – Altesino

Alessandra Angelini, CEO, Altesino

‘When the founders of Altesino came from Milan to Tuscany in 1970, they bought land on the top of the Montosoli hill, on the north side of Montalcino. Montosoli was the highest hill on the north side, and it got sunlight all day long. So even though it was on the cooler side, it would never go into the shadow of Montalcino town.

‘The founders realised the potential of this hill immediately, and in 1972, their second vintage, they separated Montosoli and made a single-vineyard wine. No-one had heard of Montosoli then – it was unknown territory. In Chianti Classico, there are noble Tuscan families who have been there for hundreds of years. But Montalcino is a relatively new region – we’ve only been making wine here since the end of the ‘60s. Before that, it was just cow and grain farmers. So people were thinking, “Altesino is crazy. What are they doing making a single-vineyard wine?”

‘Today, people understand the importance of every part of land here and almost everyone is making a single-vineyard wine. They bring huge diversity – and consumers are more and more curious about the different characteristics, and how the north side is more about elegant wines while the wines from the south are more powerful.

‘Until 2016, only Altesino could use the name Montosoli on the wine because we had registered it as a brand name. But in 2016, a new European law meant that names of towns and landmarks are free for everybody to use. As soon as that happened, every producer that had even just half a hectare here started producing a wine called Montosoli. There are now seven producers making one – but if Altesino hadn’t started it 50 years ago, there’d be no buzz around Montosoli today.’