Conti Costanti

The Costanti have owned land at Montalcino since the 16th century, which makes them one of the longest-established families in the village.

Costanti’s soils are lean, Cretaceous marls. The vines grow on southeast-facing slopes 440m above sea level, a height in the past considered the absolute limit for Sangiovese, but which in a period of global warming is transpiring to be a boon.

The estate is on the crest immediately to the north of Il Greppo and the wines have a similar intensity and savoury firmness to those of Costanti’s neighbour Biondi Santi. Costanti’s winemaking respects the terroir and the natural character of wines from a cooler area, aiming at long, slow evolution in the bottle rather than immediate impact.

"Andrea Costanti is at the top of his game. This is an utterly compelling range of wines. Both Rossos I tasted capture the essence of the house style and this site in the center of town, that judging by appearances alone and its location across the road from a gas station, gives absolutely no indication as to the magic in its soils. The Costanti Brunellos capture the essence of Sangiovese from Montalcino at its most refined. As good as the Brunellos are, the Costanti Rosso is every bit as pedigreed and delicious.” Antonio Galloni