Brunello di Montalcino, Castello Romitorio
Wine can be paired with many things other than food. For example, wine is paired fantastically with friends, ambiance, and art. For Sandro Chia, wine pairs with art like peanut butter with jelly. If you were in the art scene in New York city in the 1980’s, then you know Sandro Chia. Born in Florence, Italy, Sandro Chia studied art through-out Europe and turned things around in New York City during the retro-era. When youngsters were running around with pigtails and mismatched converse, Sandro Chia lead the movement to bust the art scene out of cubism and made real life figures cool again. After a hugely successful art project, Sandro Chia purchased a castle in Montalcino, Tuscany and started his affair with wine. Montalcino is a medieval town that sits on the top of a hill with vineyards grown all around the slopes. These days, Sandro is responsible for creating one of the top Brunello di Montalcino houses in Italy, Castello Romitorio. When asked about combining his two passions, Chia says, “they’re one in the same, both are alchemy from soil; wine is created from soil and so is paint.”
Brunello di Montalcino is a world-renowned wine made with a clone of Italy’s native Sangiovese grape, commonly known in Chianti. Because of the unique terroir and microclimate of Montalcino, the Sangiovese grape grew smaller, darker, and more intense. They called this little dark version of the Sangiovese grape, Sangiovese Grosso, a.k.a. Brunello. Brunello di Montalcino has specific rules, it must be made of 100% Sangiovese Grosso and aged 4 years prior to being released. Brunello di Montalcino tends to be an extracted, intense, bold, and complex wine. Not all Brunello’s are created equal. Style, complexity and characteristics differ with Brunello depending on the side of the slopes they come from and the wine making philosophy.
Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino is an elegant and robust Brunello. The wine philosophy of Castello Romitorio is to create a Brunello that is true to its terroir and origin, but made with the advanced winemaking technology to create the best of both worlds, old and new. With many years of high scores and cult-like followings, Castello Romitorio never fails with their award winning Brunello di Montalcino. Not only is the juice amazing, the paintings are Sandro Chia’s prints made specifically for the wine. Brunello di Montalcino should be aged 20 years before it’s consumed, but if you can’t wait, buy a few bottles and save one, at least one, you’ll thank me 20 years from now. If you pair your wine with ambiance, you can always enjoy Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino at Casa Tua, Fratelli Lyon, or Vita.