It’s no secret that a Siberian cold spell has Europe in its icy grasp.
Montalcino’s mayor closed the school on Wednesday and every day since then, conveyed by a flurry of midnight text messages from mother to mother. There’s no… Read the rest From Il Palazzone:
News
It’s no secret that a Siberian cold spell has Europe in its icy grasp.
Montalcino’s mayor closed the school on Wednesday and every day since then, conveyed by a flurry of midnight text messages from mother to mother. There’s no… Read the rest 
2012 is already an exciting year for Il Palazzone. The cellar is nearly finished and we have two new members in our team. Let me introduce these two SuperTuscans:
Gianni Petricci, or Osso as he is known, has fifteen years… Read the rest 
Today we are bottling 2007 Brunello and 2006 Riserva…. The variety of noises that a bottling line emits is an astounding collection of clinks and clanks, juddering rattles and hisses. Although the insertion of the cork is automated, the bottles… Read the rest 
Bottle-shock is the inevitable trauma that wine experiences when it is transferred to a new environment from a familiar one. In our case a wine ready for bottling goes first from wood to stainless steel. There we blend our Sangiovese… Read the rest 
The days are crisp and clear, with startling blue skies and beautiful sunsets. We have been working the soil around the vines so that any and all winter rains will be fully absorbed by the land. These water reserves may prove useful… Read the rest 
2011 was a funny old year – there’s no two ways about it.
It’s mid-November now and while the nights are bitterly cold, around midday, temperatures could still pass for summer in some countries.
In the wake of the March… Read the rest 
We’re thrilled to announce that the 2004 Riserva has just been named as one of Wine & Spirits Magazine’s 100 Best Wines of the Year in its Winter 2011 issue, and is tied for Best Brunello!
According to Wine &… Read the rest 
We read in our local paper just the other day that architects are creating “wine cathedrals” for storing and aging wine. Our new cellar, designed by Marco Pignattai, should be finished and ready for use at the end of… Read the rest 
I’d like to think that visitors to Il Palazzone never forget our wines but the reality is that few people who drive to the property ever forget the rollercoaster white-knuckle ride that it takes to get to us. We… Read the rest 
It’s that time of year again; to pick or not to pick? Shall we, shan’t we? Who has, who hasn’t?
This year many producers in Montalcino began harvest at the beginning of September, particularly the low-lying properties. Historically harvest… Read the rest 
On 21st August searing hot winds of 41°C (106 F) blew their way across Montalcino. The word on the hill is that depending on age of vines and position of vineyards, many producers are now facing heat-related damage and we are… Read the rest 
It is typical of the generosity of talented and charismatic Roberto Rossi that, having tasted our Brunello 2006, he gave us his recipe for squab. We had asked him to suggest a perfect dish for the vintage specific QR code on the backlabel of this wine.
Il Silene… Read the rest 
The name of the town Montalcino in all likelihood derives from the Latin toponym, “mons ilex,” meaning the mountain of the holm oaks. The town crest, embossed on lamp-posts and manholes in town, shows a solitary oak on a symbolic mountain.… Read the rest 
Every February, Montalcino fills with excitement for Benvenuto Brunello, when the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino announces its evaluation of the most recent vintage (more information can be found here). In addition to this announcement is the unveiling of… Read the rest 
On the main street in Montalcino is Osteria Osticcio. Owned and run by affable Tullio Scrivani, and his sparkly-eyed wife Francesca this is an incredibly well-stocked enoteca with a definite preference for organic and natural wines. They also serve beautifully… Read the rest 
At the end of December 2009 the Consorzio del Brunello launched a new traceability procedure via text messsage. The system is effective from the 1999 vintage onwards and gives the final consumer a way of checking the wine they are… Read the rest 
This week we are doing the second cimatura or topping of the vines. We are cutting back the suckers and tendrils in order to reign back the vines’ force and to increase penetration of sunlight to the fruit. Although there… Read the rest 
Never miss a chance to taste a “pesca saturnina” or “pesca tabacchiera.” They are flat and squashed-looking and have an intense perfume and taste. Smaller than a normal peach; the whole fruit is the same height as its tiny… Read the rest 
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