Poggio di Sotto

Poggio di Sotto was founded in 1989, when Piero Palmucci acquired the property in Castelnuovo dell'Abate; the estate's own site notes that the vineyards on the land date back to before the 1970s. Palmucci never planted vines himself, instead building up the estate by buying parcels recommended by his consultant, Giulio Gambelli, according to Decanter. The first vintage of Brunello under the Poggio di Sotto name was produced in 1991, the first Rosso di Montalcino in 1994, and the first Riserva was harvested in 1995. Palmucci sold the estate in 2011.

• Founded 1989 by Piero Palmucci in Castelnuovo dell'Abate; the estate's own site notes the vineyards predate the 1970s
• Palmucci never planted vines himself, building the estate by buying parcels recommended by consultant Giulio Gambelli, per Decanter
• First Brunello vintage 1991; first Rosso di Montalcino vintage 1994; first Riserva harvest 1995
• Palmucci sold the estate in 2011

In 2011, Claudio Tipa acquired Poggio di Sotto, bringing it into the ColleMassari group of Tuscan estates; the estate's own site says vineyard expansion began and the aging cellar was modernized under the new ownership. ColleMassari Estates' own about page describes the group as founded by siblings Claudio Tipa and Maria Iris Tipa Bertarelli; that same page gives differing founding dates for the group itself, 1998 in its narrative text and 1999 in its own timeline. Besides Poggio di Sotto, the group's estates are Castello ColleMassari in Montecucco, Grattamacco in Bolgheri (founded 1977), and Tenuta San Giorgio in Montalcino, plus a hospitality arm, ColleMassari Hospitality. Writing in Decanter, Stephen Brook credits the wines produced under Tipa's ownership with 'an even higher level of consistency and polish' than those made under Palmucci.

• Acquired 2011 by Claudio Tipa via the ColleMassari group; vineyard expansion and aging-cellar modernization followed, per the estate's own site
• ColleMassari group described by its own site as founded by siblings Claudio Tipa and Maria Iris Tipa Bertarelli (that page gives differing founding dates for the group itself: 1998 in its narrative text, 1999 in its timeline)
• Sister estates in the ColleMassari group: Castello ColleMassari (Montecucco), Grattamacco (Bolgheri, founded 1977), Tenuta San Giorgio (Montalcino), plus ColleMassari Hospitality
• Decanter's Stephen Brook: under Tipa the wines reached 'an even higher level of consistency and polish' than under Palmucci

Poggio di Sotto's property totals 48 hectares, of which 20 are planted to vineyard, spread across 25 parcels on the southern slopes of Montalcino in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, at the foot of Mount Amiata. The estate-owned plots rise from 190 to 440 meters in elevation on steep, mostly south-facing ridges; the estate's own site says the 1,738-meter Mount Amiata acts as a shield against unstable weather from the sea, with cool night winds descending from its peaks and warm daytime updrafts helping to enhance grape aromas. Soils vary with altitude: near the winery are reddish, pebble-dotted soils rich in microelements; the hilltops have compact clays with mineral conglomerates; and the lower plots, around 200 meters, are rocky, composed of galestro (a clayey schist typical of the central Tuscan hills) and gray marl. The vineyards are farmed organically, per the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino and Decanter. Only Sangiovese is planted, no international varieties and no white grapes, with some vines over 50 years old. The estate's rows hold 182 distinct Sangiovese biotypes, unique to Poggio di Sotto; a 2012-2013 ampelographic study catalogued the clones and enrolled them in a genetic conservation program, and since 2014 the estate has run an ongoing massal-selection collaboration with the University of Florence, using the identified biotypes as the genetic foundation for new plantings.

• 48-hectare property, 20 hectares of vineyard across 25 parcels, 190-440 meters elevation, at the foot of Mount Amiata
• Soils vary by altitude: reddish pebbly soils near the winery, compact clays with mineral conglomerates on the hilltops, galestro and gray marl on the lower plots around 200 meters
• Farmed organically, per the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino and Decanter; Sangiovese only, some vines over 50 years old
• 182 distinct Sangiovese biotypes identified via a 2012-2013 ampelographic study; ongoing massal-selection collaboration with the University of Florence since 2014 supplies genetic stock for new plantings

All three of Poggio di Sotto's wines start from the same vineyards and the same initial winemaking path. Fermentation is spontaneous, relying on indigenous yeasts, per the estate's own site and Decanter. Fruit is vinified in truncated, cone-shaped wooden vats and cement tanks, with fermentation and maceration lasting no less than a month; the estate's own site describes long and frequent pumping-over during maceration, and Decanter reports that pump-overs can continue for up to 45 days, extending past malolactic fermentation. Every wine is initially designated as Brunello di Montalcino in the vineyard; final tastings during aging determine which lots become Riserva, while Rosso di Montalcino is selected later still, during aging, from wine that could otherwise have become Brunello. Aging takes place in 30-hectoliter Slavonian oak barrels, with no barriques: Rosso di Montalcino averages 24 months, Brunello di Montalcino 36 months, and the Riserva is drawn from a single exceptional barrel that, after Brunello's own aging, rests in wood for an additional 6 to 12 months; Decanter separately describes total wood aging across the range as three to four years. Winemaker Leonardo Berti avoids barriques because he believes they can standardize the wines and rob them of nuance, per Decanter. The estate picks early, sometimes in late August, to avoid raisining and preserve freshness, and keeps alcohol levels lower than many Montalcino neighbors, which Decanter says can reach around 15% abv.

• Fermentation is spontaneous, relying on indigenous yeasts, per the estate's own site and Decanter
• Vinification in truncated cone-shaped wooden vats and cement tanks; fermentation/maceration at least a month, with long, frequent pumping-over; Decanter: pump-overs up to 45 days, extending past malolactic fermentation
• All wine is designated Brunello di Montalcino in the vineyard; Riserva and Rosso lots are selected later, during barrel aging
• Aging in 30-hl Slavonian oak, no barriques: Rosso about 24 months, Brunello 36 months, Riserva an additional 6 to 12 months beyond Brunello's aging
• Winemaker Leonardo Berti avoids barriques, believing they standardize wines and rob them of nuance, per Decanter; early picking (sometimes late August) and lower alcohol than many Montalcino neighbors (which Decanter says can reach around 15% abv)

Poggio di Sotto's 2019 Brunello di Montalcino was named one of Decanter's 'top 10 Italian wines of the year' for 2024, a list compiled by Italy regional editor James Button as 'Wines of the Year 2024: Italy' (Decanter's own page was last updated 28 December 2024; the Italian outlet WineNews covered the list on 30 December 2024); the choice drew on critic Stephen Brook's July 2024 Decanter Premium profile of the estate, in which he called Poggio di Sotto's wines 'quintessential Brunello,' writing that they 'aren't blockbusters' and that their 'elegance and freshness are almost mouthwatering,' placing them 'indisputably in the very top ranks of great Brunello.' The estate's own technical sheets report a run of high scores from international critics: the 2021 Brunello received 100 points from The Wine Palate and Gardini Notes, 99 from Jeb Dunnuck, 98 from James Suckling, Robert Parker, and Falstaff/Falstaff Italia, and 96 from Vinous, Vinum, Decanter, and Wine Spectator; the 2020 Riserva received 100 from The Drink Business, 98 from The Wine Palate and Falstaff, and 97 from Robert Parker, Jeb Dunnuck, and Decanter. The estate's own history page separately notes that Wine Advocate awarded 100 points to the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva in 2022. The Riserva is made only in exceptional vintages and, per the estate's own site, is often the expression of a single vineyard given how little of it is produced.

• 2019 Brunello named one of Decanter's 'top 10 Italian wines of the year' for 2024 (Decanter's own page last updated 28 December 2024); drawn from Stephen Brook's July 2024 profile calling the wines 'quintessential Brunello,' 'indisputably in the very top ranks of great Brunello'
• Per the estate's own technical sheet: 2021 Brunello scored 100 (The Wine Palate, Gardini Notes), 99 (Jeb Dunnuck), 98 (James Suckling, Robert Parker, Falstaff/Falstaff Italia), 96 (Vinous, Vinum, Decanter, Wine Spectator)
• Per the estate's own technical sheet: 2020 Riserva scored 100 (The Drink Business), 98 (The Wine Palate, Falstaff), 97 (Robert Parker, Jeb Dunnuck, Decanter)
• Wine Advocate awarded 100 points to the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva in 2022, per the estate's own history page; Riserva made only in exceptional vintages, often expressing a single vineyard given the small quantity produced

Primary sources (producer's own site and its ColleMassari Estates group site, fetched as raw page text via curl and tag-stripping, not a summarizing tool): https://www.poggiodisotto.it/en/ (home, history, philosophy, winegrowing, wines, hospitality, authenticity-verification, contacts, grappa-oil, and the Brunello, Riserva, and Rosso wine pages) and https://www.collemassariestates.com/ (home and about). Secondary sources (also fetched as raw page text): Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino's producer page, Decanter's 'Poggio di Sotto: Quintessential Brunello' profile (31 July 2024) and 'Wines of the Year 2024: Italy' (2024), and WineNews' coverage of the Decanter list (30 December 2024). Last verified 2026-09-09. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs; see conflicts.json for the founding-year, biotype-count, elevation-range, aging-duration, and award-framing discrepancies.