Sassetti Livio Pertimali

The Sassetti family has worked the land in Montalcino for over a century, with four generations of winemaking dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Livio Sassetti is one of the appellation's pioneering figures: in 1967 he was among the 25 founding members of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, the regulatory body that would shepherd Brunello to its 1968 DOC status and 1980 DOCG elevation. In 1968, Livio built a terracotta wall in his cellar to preserve old vintage bottles produced by his family. The estate's official Podere Pertimali property at Montosoli was purchased in the late 1970s when Livio completed his transition from agricultural manager to estate owner. Today, the fourth generation, represented by Livio's son Lorenzo, manages the property's vineyards, winemaking, and commercial direction.

• Four generations of Sassetti family farming in Montalcino, with documented winemaking activity stretching back over a century
• Livio Sassetti was a founding member of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino in 1967, one of the appellation's pioneering figures
• Podere Pertimali vineyard (16 hectares) on the Montosoli hilltop purchased in the late 1970s
• Estate now managed by fourth-generation winemaker Lorenzo Sassetti, son of Livio

The Pertimali estate sits at the top of the Montosoli hill in the northern sector of Montalcino, an area renowned among Brunello specialists for producing wines of particular elegance and aromatic complexity. Montosoli was first identified as a distinctive cru site in the 1970s and became the first single-vineyard area to be widely recognised within the Brunello appellation, partly through Altesino's pioneering Montosoli bottling launched in 1978. The site benefits from north-facing aspect that slows ripening compared to the warmer southern slopes, preserving acidity and yielding wines of finesse and structure rather than power. Soils are dominated by galestro, the crumbly schistous marl that contributes mineral complexity and excellent drainage. The Sassetti family expanded their holdings in 1999 with the purchase of estate vineyards in the La Querciolina district along the Tuscan coast.

• Estate vineyards on the Montosoli hilltop in northern Montalcino, an early-recognised cru site
• North-facing aspect slows ripening and preserves acidity, yielding refined, structured wines
• Galestro-dominated soils contribute mineral character and excellent drainage
• Additional Sassetti family vineyards at La Querciolina (coastal Tuscany) acquired 1999

Sassetti Livio Pertimali follows the traditional Brunello methodology: native yeast fermentations, extended maceration on the skins, and aging in large neutral Slavonian oak botti rather than smaller French oak barriques. Brunello di Montalcino spends approximately 36 months in large casks followed by bottle aging before release. The Montosoli terroir's natural elegance combined with the gentle wood treatment yields wines that emphasise red and dark cherry fruit, fresh acidity, floral lift, and the savoury herbal complexity typical of cooler Montalcino sites. The wines develop superbly with bottle age, evolving from primary fruit through layered tertiary nuance over 15 to 25 years for normale bottlings and longer for riservas.

• Native yeast fermentation with extended skin maceration
• Brunello di Montalcino: approximately 36 months in large Slavonian oak botti, no French barriques
• House style emphasises cherry fruit, fresh acidity, floral aromatics, and refined tannin
• Wines age 15-25 years for Brunello normale, longer for riserva bottlings

The estate's portfolio centres on Brunello di Montalcino as the flagship, with Brunello Riserva produced in exceptional years from selected old-vine lots. Rosso di Montalcino offers an accessible introduction to the Pertimali house style at an earlier-drinking price point. The estate also produces a Sangiovese-based IGT wine and small bottlings showcasing the family's holdings. Sassetti Livio Pertimali wines have been consistently recognised by Italian critics including Gambero Rosso, Bibenda, and Vinous, and the estate is regularly cited as one of the appellation's reference traditional producers from the northern Montosoli cru area. The wines are widely exported to the United States, Northern Europe, and Asia.

• Brunello di Montalcino: estate flagship, classically structured 36-month-botti Brunello
• Brunello Riserva: produced only in exceptional vintages from old-vine selections
• Rosso di Montalcino: accessible early-drinking expression of the Pertimali style
• Critical recognition: Gambero Rosso, Bibenda, Vinous; reference traditional producer of northern Montalcino

Sassetti Livio Pertimali welcomes visitors by appointment at the Montosoli estate, with tastings, cellar tours, and views over the northern Montalcino landscape. The estate occupies a distinctive position in the appellation: a small, family-run, traditionalist producer working a recognised cru site, with continuity of ownership and style across four generations. The wines have particular appeal to collectors and sommeliers seeking refined, age-worthy Brunello with clear terroir signature rather than the richer, more extracted style of warmer southern Montalcino. The estate's terracotta-walled cellar, built by Livio in 1968 to preserve old vintages, reflects the family's deep commitment to tradition and to the long-term aging that defines great Brunello.

• Visitor tastings and cellar tours by appointment at the Montosoli estate
• Small, family-run, traditionalist producer working a recognised cru site
• Wines favoured by collectors seeking elegance, finesse, and terroir signature over extraction
• 1968 terracotta-walled cellar built by Livio Sassetti preserves the estate's old vintages