1945 Tuscany Vintage

The 1945 growing season unfolded in a region still recovering from occupation and conflict. Allied forces had liberated the core of Tuscany by late summer 1944, with Florence falling on 11 August and Pisa on 2 September of that year. By the 1945 harvest, most of Tuscany was free of active fighting, though severe economic disruption, damaged infrastructure, and depleted agricultural resources persisted. Montalcino, located about 40 kilometres south of Siena in one of Tuscany's warmest and driest zones, was better positioned than many regions to produce quality fruit, owing to its naturally low rainfall and high altitude.

• Florence liberated 11 August 1944; most of southern Tuscany, including the Montalcino area, freed from German occupation well before the 1945 harvest
• Montalcino receives an average annual rainfall of around 700mm, making it the most arid Tuscan DOCG and naturally resistant to disease pressure
• Wartime disruption limited chemical inputs and labour, which in some vineyards reduced yields and concentrated surviving fruit
• The Biondi-Santi estate at Tenuta Greppo, located near the town of Montalcino at approximately 564 metres above sea level, continued operating through the occupation

By the end of World War II, Brunello di Montalcino was already one of Italy's rarest wines. Biondi-Santi was the sole commercial producer recorded in government documents, and the house was extraordinarily selective: between 1888 and 1945, only four vintages of Riserva were declared. The 1945 vintage therefore occupies a singular position in wine history as the fourth and final Riserva declared in Brunello's first era of production. The Riserva was produced, per Biondi-Santi tradition, exclusively from grapes sourced from the estate's oldest vines, those over 25 years of age, and was aged in large Slavonian oak barrels before extended cellaring in the estate's private wine library, La Storica.

• Only four Brunello Riserva vintages declared between 1888 and 1945: 1888, 1891, 1925, and 1945
• Grapes for the 1945 Riserva sourced most likely from Tenuta Greppo and the Scarnacuoia vineyard
• Riserva production at Biondi-Santi reserved exclusively for vines over 25 years old, ensuring maximum concentration and complexity
• All Riserva bottles held in La Storica, the estate wine library at Tenuta Greppo, and released directly by the winery with numbered neck labels

Biondi-Santi is inseparable from any discussion of the 1945 vintage. Founded on the pioneering work of Clemente Santi in the mid-19th century and formalised by his grandson Ferruccio Biondi-Santi with the first bottling in 1888, the estate is widely credited with inventing Brunello di Montalcino as a category. Tancredi Biondi-Santi, who ran the estate through the war years, both safeguarded the historic bottles by walling them up and later helped write the regulations for the Brunello di Montalcino DOC in 1966. The 1945 Riserva is described by tasting sources as showing aromas of red berry, raspberry, prunes, mushrooms, leather, and tobacco, with firm tannins, sour red cherry on the palate, and a powerful lingering finish. In December 2016, the estate was acquired by the French luxury group EPI, owned by the Descours family, with the Biondi-Santi family retaining a role at the property.

• Ferruccio Biondi-Santi produced the first commercial Brunello di Montalcino in 1888 from Sangiovese Grosso at Tenuta Greppo
• Tancredi Biondi-Santi walled up historic Riserva bottles during WWII and later co-authored the Brunello di Montalcino DOC regulations in 1966
• The 1945 Riserva is noted for aromas of leather, tobacco, red berry, and mushroom, with firm tannins and a long finish
• EPI Group (owner of Charles Heidsieck and Piper-Heidsieck Champagne) acquired a majority stake in Biondi-Santi in December 2016

The 1945 Biondi-Santi Brunello Riserva is now over 80 years old and must be approached with clear-eyed realism about condition. Bottles released directly from Tenuta Greppo's La Storica wine library carry the highest confidence, as each bottle is numbered, dated on the back label, and accompanied by documentation of any topping-up and re-corking that may have occurred. Bottles obtained through La Storica or with a clear, documented ownership history will show the most reliable condition. At this age, expect a tawny-garnet colour, tertiary notes of leather, dried fruit, tobacco, and earth, and tannins that have fully resolved into the wine's fabric.

• Bottles released from La Storica are accompanied by numbered neck labels and hand-written departure dates, offering the strongest provenance guarantee
• Biondi-Santi offers a unique ricolmatura (topping-up) service, with any past reconditioning certified on a neck certificate
• At 80+ years, expect fully tertiary character: leather, tobacco, dried cherry, mushroom, and earth rather than primary fruit
• Condition is paramount; ullage, cork condition, and storage history must all be scrutinised before purchase at this age

The 1945 vintage holds a unique place in Italian wine history on multiple levels. It was produced during the transitional period between the fall of Fascism and the formal proclamation of the Italian Republic on 2 June 1946. For Brunello di Montalcino, the vintage marks the close of a founding era: no further Biondi-Santi Riserva would be declared until 1946, and the appellation would not receive formal DOC recognition until 1966 or its celebrated DOCG status until 1980. The story of Tancredi Biondi-Santi concealing the family's historic bottles behind cellar walls during the German occupation has become one of Italian wine's most enduring legends, a vivid illustration of how continuity and craft survived wartime upheaval.

• Produced under Italy's transitional post-Fascist provisional government; the Italian Republic was proclaimed on 2 June 1946
• The 1945 Riserva closed the founding era of Brunello: only four vintages declared in the appellation's first 57 years
• Brunello di Montalcino received DOC status in 1966 (with Tancredi Biondi-Santi helping write the regulations) and DOCG in 1980
• Tancredi's wartime concealment of the estate's historic bottles is one of Italian wine's most celebrated stories, demonstrating Brunello's legendary longevity

The 1945 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva commands significant prices on the secondary market, averaging approximately $3,300–$3,400 per bottle according to Wine-Searcher data, situating it above many younger historic Riservas but below exceptional benchmark vintages such as 1955 (averaging over $10,000) and 1946 (averaging around $8,750). Biondi-Santi's total annual production is around 7,000 cases across all wines, with Riserva accounting for a very small fraction and made only in exceptional years. Given the age and extreme rarity of the 1945, authentication and provenance verification are essential: bottles sourced directly from La Storica or from documented collections command strong premiums over open-market examples.

• 1945 Biondi-Santi Riserva averages approximately $3,300–$3,400 per bottle (Wine-Searcher data); the 1955 averages over $10,000
• Total Biondi-Santi production is around 7,000 cases annually across all wines; Riserva is a tiny fraction, made only in exceptional years
• Riserva has been declared only around 40 times since 1888, making each vintage extremely scarce on the secondary market
• Bottles released directly from La Storica with original neck numbering, back-label dating, and any topping-up certificate carry the highest authenticity premium