Description
Pian dell’Orino is one of the names of excellence of Brunello di Montalcino: a small winery that has achieved record ratings in recent years both in Italy and abroad. It was founded in 1997 by Caroline Pobitzer from South Tyrol together with her German husband Jan Herback, a long-time winemaker and winemaker, united by a common passion for the Montalcino terroir and for great wines.
In the vineyard all synthetic chemicals are banned in favor of biodynamic preparations, manure and green manures, in the cellar the fermentations take place in steel or in conical wooden vats, without temperature control and with long maceration. In continuity with traditional best practices, only native yeasts are used and refinements involve the use of large barrels.
Pian dell’Orino wines represent high and dizzying expressions of Montalcino: from intense and juicy red to Brunello of great depth, with a classic and austere character, fruity and expressive. These are wines of great complexity and elegance, produced with great wisdom following traditional and genuine methods: the result of vineyards with attention to every detail.
Tasting Notes
The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Bassolino di Sopra is the equivalent of the estate’s Riserva. Only 3,000 bottles were made and the wine was not produced in 2009 or 2008. Nor will it be made in 2011 or 2013. Future editions are 2012 and 2015. Bassolino di Sopra is silky and smooth, but it also has a fine textural fabric that gives the wine an enormous sense of tactile intensity in terms of mouthfeel. This is a magnificent achievement with an extreme sense of purity and freshness that is elegant and streamlined. The bouquet reveals slight and miniature shifts in its evolution that keep your curiosity as you contemplate the wine in the glass. Wild berry is followed by a steady stream of balsam herb, cola, crushed oyster shell and delicate floral tones. The vineyards are located between 330 and 370 meters above sea level with limestone deposits and red soils. Farming is biodynamic. [100 Points, Monica Larner – March 2016, robertparker.com]
