Colour is a rather sensitive subject in Montalcino, where the naturally pale cast of Sangiovese (originally selected for this trait in antiquity when its resemblance to blood made it the wine of choice for the Symposium) was once the cause of much producer discontent, peaking in the late noughties. However, even as the wine world’s penchant for ‘big blue’ wines has waned, change in Montalcino had been gradual, thanks in large part to the introduction of Sangiovese clones with naturally darker and more stable pigments. It was thus unexpected for everyone from Fattoria dei Barbi to Banfi to have made 2019s – from a warmer growing season and later harvest – almost uniformly paler than the 2018s.

When I asked Gianni Pignattai of Pietroso, the first estate on my itinerary, what he thought was behind this shift, he was as befuddled as I, though he too had noticed it. Was it related to bunch shading, mainly undertaken to avoid sunburn; or marginally higher yields, intended to moderate alcohol? Was it more deliberate enological shifts in response to market trends: such as eschewing the once-popular cold soak, or perhaps utilising whole bunches (admittedly not something that seems very widespread, though whole-berry fermentation has become increasingly popular)? Pignattai couldn’t say.

Tasting his 2010, also a five-star vintage, was a helpful reminder of how much our sensibilities have shifted in less than a decade. Though 2010 wasn’t necessarily considered a blockbuster vintage at the time, perhaps that was because it was immediately preceded by torrid 2009, and the previous five-star vintage had been the buxom 2007. In fact, 2010 was lauded for its acidity and balance, though alcohol levels were not insubstantial. Pietroso’s 2010 was far from unbalanced; in fact, it had a defined, muscular elegance. But the style’s robustness and, yes, darkness, were conspicuous, though Pignattai couldn’t name specific enological changes made over that period. I queried many more producers about this phenomenon during my trip and will share more of what I learned in a later article.

The positive take on this evolution (and my take is largely positive) is that more transparent wines generally have a greater ability to communicate site-specific nuances. Of course, this only works if the trend doesn’t grow out of control, thinning out even wines from sites that naturally confer heft. Fortunately, we don’t seem to be there yet.

A focus on sub-regionality has been a longer time coming in Montalcino than most other Italian fine-wine (or fine-wine-aspirant) regions, with everyone from neighbouring Montepulciano to Soave to Conegliano-Valdobbiadene having adopted official sub-areas. There is, of course, arguably more at stake here than in the average region, with top producers broadly dispersed and protective of their reputations, disinclined to support any classification system that might devalue their own plots. However, the first critical step in this direction – a map of the region being developed by the Consorzio – is in the works, a projected three-year undertaking that will present regularly updated information about the region’s topography, geology and soils, climate and biodiversity.

Helpfully, the clustering of my visits by subregion (obviously also a practical approach given the hilly, winding country roads here) underscored the genuine differences between zones. One day was devoted to the west and northwest – Pietroso and Castiglion del Bosco – where the ratio of forest to vineyard is especially high, soils are mostly stony, and altitude plays a major role. The next was Castelnuovo dell’Abate, where I visited several key producers. Another covered the northern slope of Montalcino, including Canalicchio di Sopra, Capanna and Il Marroneto, a wonderful trio to illustrate this cooler area’s more austere, balsamic style, except for the sunny, south-facing slopes of Montosoli. A final day was spent on the classic southern slope (archetypal Montalcino, with some especially high vineyards at over 600m asl) plus Sant’Angelo in Colle, a warmer, drier area but with limestone outcrops and water-retentive clays that help with balance.

A version of sub-regionality that the region has largely embraced is the ‘Vigna’ or named-vineyard bottling. There was a decent number of these in 2019, with some names (‘Montosoli’, chief among them) having developed a reputation beyond that of many individual producers. However, most of the Vigne remain proprietary e.g. Canalicchio di Sopra’s La Casaccia, of which we tasted every vintage since inception; or Barbi’s Vigna del Fiore or Castiglion del Bosco’s Campo del Drago, both of which made gorgeous 2019s that are especially illustrative of the ‘ruby shift’. Without knowing the specifications of every single Vigna, a would-be Brunello-spotter cannot really use these names as a clue to wine style the way lovers of Chambertin-Clos de Bèze or Asili might.

A geographical trend that continues to gain steam is the focus on altitude, led by producers like Le Ragnaie and Poggio Antico. This is, of course, a response to climate change, which has permitted the ripening of grapes in the cooler heights up to and above 600m asl, but also to demand for more delicate wines from markets like Japan. Many of Riccardo Campinoti’s wines at Le Ragnaie, including Passo del Lume Spento, his highest site, are a mere 13.5%-14% abv; though as Poggio Antico’s decidedly more voluptuous wines prove, altitude is no guarantee of daintiness.

Meanwhile, as more cohesiveness has come to Brunello, Rosso di Montalcino, once the natural choice for those enamoured of Montalcino but not necessarily big Brunelli, has become a head-spinningly diverse category. It is treated by some as Baby Brunello, only diverted to Rosso production after the first phase of maturation (e.g. Poggio di Sotto); by others as a testing ground for single vineyards before they are ready for Brunello production (e.g. Argiano); and by others as a deliberately distinct category, already identified in the vineyard (e.g. Poggio Antico, Patrizia Cencioni). Still others make a small portfolio of Rossi, some designed for early consumption and others to be a bridge between Rosso and Brunello (e.g. Castiglion del Bosco). Such is the popularity of Rosso among both consumers and producers – likely grateful to have a wine they can sell without first cellaring it for four years – that Montalcino recently received regional approval to expand its tiny designated vineyard area from 526ha to 878ha by incorporating existing, but currently unregistered, Sangiovese vineyards.

Thus, though last year it seemed that Montalcino – for all the shifts behind the scenes – was largely continuing to make wines in the sensuous, Mediterranean-accented mould it has for years (stalwart classicists like Biondi-Santi notwithstanding) – 2019 may have been a watershed. With the warm, promising 2020 up next (another five-star vintage according to the Consorzio, though they have recently updated their vintage rating system and the new system’s 2020 rating won’t be available until October 2024), plus a bumper crop of 2019 Riserve, it remains to be seen whether this stylistic shift will hold. In the meantime, 2019’s dynamic but graceful annata wines will undoubtedly be basking in deserved glory.