If the above were not motivation enough, according to the DOCG regulations, Brunello must spend a minimum of 4 months bottle aging before release in January while Riserva must spent six months. Bottling in summer means that the wines are ready to be sent out into the world when they can be commercially released, on the fifth January after harvest.

Gabriele Gorelli an indigenous rising star here in Montalcino, estimates that in Montalcino 1.500 decisions are made from site selection to bottling. He has consciously adapted Stephen Skelton’s observation from his book, Viticulture , a beloved text for many students of wine:

“Someone once worked out that there are 3,000 separate decisions that are taken from site selection to bottle, any one of which could change the character and quality of the wine in question”

In Montalcino, due to the restrictions and obligation of the D.O.C.G., many decisions are made for us, hence the halfing of the number of choices. For example where we plant must be within the circumscribed area of Montalcino. What we plant has to be 100% Sangiovese for Brunello, our yield in grapes and conversion to juice are similarly specified and on it goes, right down to the kind of closure, the minimum acidity and the bottle formats.

Choosing the pick date is critical; think of the 2013 harvest where picking before or after 4th October was a watershed for quality. Once the grapes are in the cellar overseeing the fermentation, deciding how many pump-overs to do and when is a whole other chapter, and so on and so on. My heart is beginning to race just thinking of it.

Here we have 12.692 bottles of 2016 Brunello, 250 Magnums and 50 Double Magnums, lying quietly in their cages. The decision-making on our side is over. All we have to do is take good care of them until release in 2021 and then transfer the responsibility to our clients and distributors. Please store carefully, open lovingly, serve at the right temperature with deserving guests and delicious dishes.

Do the right thing my friends, we’re trusting you to take care of these receptacles of five years of thoughtful (innumerable) decisions.

With thanks to Rodrigo Sepulveda for introducing me to this marvellous theory.