Il Poggione is one of Montalcino’s largest but most respected estates, with a reputation for producing some of the most reliable, best-value, and age-worthy Brunello di Montalcino. The property’s history stretches back to the 19th century, owned by the Franceschi family for five generations, and one of the region’s early pioneers. It is, however, a series of talented winemakers that have made the property’s name and made it a benchmark for Brunello di Montalcino: first with Pierluigi Talenti, who was in charge from 1958 to 1999, then Fabrizio Bindocci and today Fabrizio’s son Alessandro.

Leopoldo and Livia Franceschi are the current generation to manage the estate in Sant’Angelo in Colle, the heart of the appellation, 10km south of the town of Montalcino. The estate is one of the region’s largest, a massive 530 hectares in total, however, only 140 of that is dedicated to vineyards – with the rest olive groves, farmland, and forest, creating an area of great biodiversity.

Rosso di Montalcino is found in the same defined area as its bigger brother, the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. Both are situated in the heart of Tuscany, in central Italy. This DOC was created in 1984 in order to make the most of the fruit from younger vines of new plantings. The idea was to create a fresher style of wine that needed considerably less aging time (one year with only six months in oak) than its sibling. This would enable producers of Brunello to make money while waiting for their DOCG wine to age, as well as declassify any Brunello that had been aging for two to three years but had not quite reached the required standards. A similar enterprise was undertaken in Montepulciano, with the Rosso di Montepulciano DOC helping out producers of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG.

Today this wine is revered for its great distinction, depth of black cherry and wild-berry fruit, and careful use of oak revealed in a hint of spice and vanilla. Like its Montalcino sibling, it is a full-bodied wine crafted from pure Sangiovese (in this case, the local "Grosso" form). However, it is considered a more vivacious style of wine, combining freshness with structure, and can be approached at a much earlier age.