Montalcino and Brunello

Just after leaving Montepulciano, neat rows of Sangiovese race along the ridgelines; at 9 am the light catches Montalcino’s fortress and a last veil of mist slides off the Val d’Orcia. The drive via SP146 threads Monticchiello and San Quirico d’Orcia in about 40 minutes, then climbs. Here Brunello is a rulebook as much as a wine: DOCG since 1980, 100% Sangiovese Grosso, at least five years of aging with two in wood. From the 14th‑century ramparts you can read the vineyards like a map—Canalicchio to the north, Castelnuovo dell’Abate to the southeast.

The day runs smoothly: hotel pick‑up in Montepulciano, a Mercedes at your disposal, and your driver handling roads and parking while you taste. In Montalcino, our private chauffeur in the Val d’Orcia aligns visits with producer schedules, secures appointments for a vertical if you wish, and waits during cellar tours. Two contrasting estates—an old‑guard property near Tavernelle, then a parcel‑focused grower by Torrenieri—and on the way back, the Romanesque Abbey of Sant’Antimo (11th–12th c.), sitting 12 km to the south among olives, before looping via Bagno Vignoni and Pienza.