Tenuta Il Poggione Rosso di Toscana - 750ml

Tenuta Il Poggione Rosso di Toscana 2020 is produced at the Franceschi family's 1,500-acre estate in Sant'Angelo in Colle, in the southwestern reaches of the Montalcino commune in Tuscany — a property established at the end of the 19th century by Lavinio Franceschi and now in the hands of the fifth generation, siblings Leopoldo and Livia Franceschi. Il Poggione is one of the original three producers of Brunello di Montalcino and a founding member of the Brunello Consortium, a lineage that lends considerable context to its more accessible expressions. The Rosso di Toscana sits outside the Montalcino DOC framework, allowing the estate to blend Sangiovese with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon — a combination that draws from the same hand-harvested, hillside vineyards farmed at over 1,300 feet above sea level, where the proximity to the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west and the Orcia River Valley to the south creates a moderating maritime influence that is specific to this corner of Tuscany.

The wine is made under the direction of father-son winemaking team Fabrizio and Alessandro Bindocci, whose guiding principle centers on meticulous vineyard work as the primary determinant of wine quality. The Sangiovese component provides the structural backbone and red fruit character that defines the estate's house style, while the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon contribute roundness, dark fruit depth, and a suppleness that makes the Rosso di Toscana approachable earlier than the estate's Montalcino expressions. Aging proceeds in large Allier French oak barrels and barriques consistent with Il Poggione's traditional method, toning down the tannins of the young blend while building aromatic complexity without imposing heavy wood character.

The nose opens with red fruit, sweet spice, and vanilla alongside leather and a faint herbal note that the Sangiovese contributes. The palate is soft and pleasant, with red cherry, dark plum, and new leather moving through a medium-bodied mid-palate of fresh, mineral-edged fruit and crisp acidity. The tannins are fine and approachable, and the finish is clean and moderately long, closing on a mineral thread and a lingering spice note that reflects the estate's elevated hillside terroir. A wine for every meal from one of Montalcino's most storied producers.