2022 Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona, Ateo Rosso, Sant’Antimo DOC, Tuscany, Italy.
The Ateo, a favorite modern Tuscan red of mine, by Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona is a deeply garnet hued wine with a medium/full bodied palate showing off a distinctly Tuscan character, though interestingly enough the Ateo is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with ripe and densely layered dark berry, plum, red currant and strawberry fruits, along with a background of dried flowers, mixed spice, tobacco leaf, minty herbs and anise. The fourth feels rounded and concentrated, almost lush, but there’s a classic lift of acidity, a touch of raw tannin and a subtle framing of wood. This famous Montalcino estate has origins that date back to the 17th century and it, as the winery notes, still keeps its historical heritage and records in a building called “Palazzo” (Palace) that was built by Fabivs de’ Vecchis, the Bishop of Montalcino and Abbot of Sant’Antimo Abbey. It became a privately run wine property around 1868 and the Ciacci started their beginnings here in 1877. And after a long and fruitful guidance here, in 1985, the countess Elda Ciacci bequeathed the entire property to Giuseppe Bianchini, who was the longtime caretakers of the estates vineyards and the modern estate very soon was on a path to some glorious wines, with the focus being their Brunello di Montalcino. The Ateo Rosso DOC, first made n 1989, with Ciacci’s first Cabernet ad Merlot harvest, is crafted from carefully selected grapes, usually led by Cabernet Sauvignon, with a good dose of Merlot and a small amount of Sangiovese, and sees a primary fermentation in cool, temperature controlled stainless steel and cement vats, typically seeing a few weeks of maceration. After that the wine is blend and racked from tank to small oak barrels, mainly used French oak, where it matures for just under a year and bottled. The Brunello here has become a modern icon from the region, with its clean, sleek style and opulent depth, more like Casanova di Neri, rather than a more rustic, old school wine, and I highly recommend the whole lineup at Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona.
Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona’s Ateo from the Sant’Antimo DOC, where they allow a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and the native Sangiovese grapes in the regional Rosso, comes from an area set on limestone Marl from the Eocene period with a medium grained top soil and sandy patches, with vines spread between 250 and 350 meters up above sea level. This terroir, not far from the famous Brunello zone has long been home to the international varietals, especially Cabernet, which has done well here, though strictly forbidden in the Montalcino vineyards. The Sant’Antimo Rosso DOC is produced from vines around Castelnuovo dell’Abate, a hamlet of Montalcino, with an interesting history and an ancient winemaking tradition. It is named after the magnificent Abbey of Sant’Antimo, alluded to above, which sits in a beautiful valley surrounded by vineyards. The Ciacci Piccolomini winery, has become one of the more serious modern Brunello di Montalcino producers, as mentioned in my prior reviews, and is run by Paolo and Lucia Bianchini, brother and sister, who’s family inherited this highly regarded property in 1985. They took over this prestigious Montalcino estate from their late father Giuseppe in 2004 and they have not just continued the high quality wine traditions here, but have raised the level to new and even greater heights, especially with their top Brunello di Montalcino bottlings that are some of the most prized in the region and sought after around the world. Ciacci has mainly Sangiovese, Brunello Clone, in their elite vineyards of course, but they also have plantings of Syrah, Cabernet, and Merlot that go into Bianchini’s other wines, including this mini “Super Tuscan’ red “Ateo”, and their basic IGT Toscana Rosso, with these last two wines also being fabulous bangs for the buck. I was first introduced to these Ciacci wines, most notably their Brunello in the early 2000s and have enjoyed them ever since, regularly buying the Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino, but also put the Ateo in my rotation since 2012, and it was fun to check out this delicious 2022 version.
($30 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive