Biondi-Santi New Vintage Release of Brunello and Riserva

Introducing 'La Voce di Biondi-Santi,' A Storytelling Project to Travel with the Bottle

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Biondi-Santi, the legendary Brunello producer, today announces the release of its newest vintages of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG 2016 and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2017.

Marking the occasion, the Estate has also unveiled a new listening experience, La Voce di Biondi-Santi, (i.e. The Voice of Biondi-Santi) – an audio experience that explores a theme of importance to the winery each year. For this project, Biondi-Santi has chosen the oldest yet the most contemporary and sustainable form of expression—the spoken word—to communicate unique and personal emotions to its community of clients, consumers, and collectors.

The core of the experience is an audiobook, an original short story. For 2023, the audiobook entitled "A Vintage Enigma," is written by Italian novelist Gianni Farinetti and narrated by American actor, Tomas Arana.

Accompanying the audiobook, is a four-part series of podcast conversations. The 2023 theme is 'Wonderment,' and Director of Viticulture and Winemaking Federico Radi describes the wines of the year, while CEO Giampiero Bertolini discusses the year's theme with special guests. The 2023 guests are Eike Schmidt, Director of the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, and novelist Gianni Farinetti.

La Voce di Biondi-Santi will accompany each bottle of Brunello 2017 and Riserva 2016, and consumers can access the listening experience by scanning the QR code on the proof tag placed on the capsule of the bottles.

Giampiero Bertolini, CEO of Biondi-Santi shared the vision behind the newest storytelling project:
"The idea of 'La Voce di Biondi-Santi' comes from our desire to share the thoughts and guiding principles of this evolutionary journey with our community of collectors and wine enthusiasts – to open a window on what goes on at the estate, so that whoever opens a bottle of Biondi-Santi can have an even deeper understanding of the work and the people behind the wine.

"We also hope to inspire people with the short story which does not speak about us, but freely explores the intricacies of the theme we gave to the author. The theme for 2023 is 'Wonderment,' a concept we have talked a lot about at the winery. I will leave it to our friends and collectors to discover why as they listen."

Rocco Lombardo, President of Wilson Daniels stated:
"It is a pleasure to see an iconic estate such as Biondi-Santi searching for new ways to communicate with its end consumer. Biondi-Santi has always been renowned for the elegance and longevity of its Brunello di Montalcino. With 'La Voce di Biondi-Santi,' the experience in the glass is deepened and expanded by the spoken word."

Commenting on the growing seasons for the Brunello and Brunello Riserva, Federico Radi, Director of Viticulture and Winemaking said:
"The vintages of Brunello di Montalcino and Brunello di Montalcino Riserva that we are presenting this year come from two very different vintages which express the character of our terroir in two distinct ways. Riserva 2016 is the fruit of a very regular growing season which saw just the right amount of rain and sun, at just the right time. The summer of 2016 was warm but with no extreme peaks, and with refreshing rainfalls at the end of August, which enhanced the day/night temperature swings and prolonged the final ripening process of the grapes, enhancing the aromatic side of this wine, which combines structure and finesse, richness and acidity. A classic Biondi-Santi Riserva with a long, long life ahead of it.

"The following year, 2017, was hot and dry all the way through a long-lasting summer. In this vintage we can thank our high-altitude vineyards for preserving a good balance between acidity and sweet fruit, a moderate alcohol content of 13.5%, and fine-grained tannins which showed their quality already during fermentation. A surprising Brunello which for me represents the quintessence of that which we can call the signature of the Biondi-Santi terroir."

Each year, a new chapter of La Voce di Biondi-Santi will be released to accompany the new vintage launch as an exclusive experience reserved for the Biondi-Santi community. Throughout the year, small extracts of the short story and the podcast conversations will also be published on the Instagram channel @biondisantigreppo.

Over time, La Voce di Biondi-Santi will become a living library of stories and people, that tell the tale of the estate and its journey through time, bringing the story of Biondi-Santi into wine lover's homes wherever they are.

The Biondi-Santi portfolio is imported nationally by Wilson Daniels, and wines are available from fine wine retail stores from March 1, 2023.

For further information, interviews, and assets, please contact Rebecca Hopkins via email at [email protected]. Press materials, including images, and tasting notes are available HERE. 

The first use of the word 'Brunello' dates back to the mid-19th century, when Clemente Santi won a prize for his 'vino scelto,' made entirely from the Sangiovese Grosso varietal grown on his land in Montalcino. In 1888, his nephew, Ferruccio Biondi Santi, produced the first wine officially known as 'Brunello di Montalcino.' Since then, the Biondi-Santi name has been synonymous with excellence and is one of the world's leading lights in the 'Made in Italy' movement, loved by both collectors and the most respected wine critics.

In 2016, Christopher Descours' acquisition of Biondi-Santi opened a new chapter in the company's story with the introduction of important research and development projects both in the vineyards and the winery. These projects aim to further build on the excellence that has always been associated with Biondi-Santi. You can connect with Biondi-Santi wines online at Biondisanti.it, Instagram @biondisantigreppo, and Facebook Biondi Santi.

Founded in 1978, Wilson Daniels is a fully integrated, family-owned marketing and sales company representing a highly selective portfolio of the world's most distinctive wines. Wilson Daniels continues to pursue and elevate the standards of excellence set by founders Win Wilson and Jack Daniels through developing long-term, strategic partnerships with luxury producers that possess profound respect for terroir and are benchmarks in their region. To learn more about Wilson Daniels, visit www.wilsondaniels.com.

Media Contacts:
Rebecca Hopkins
[email protected]
707.592.8929

Claire Gibbs
Media Relations and Communications Manager 
[email protected] 
212.823.6261

SOURCE Wilson Daniels