Why the Blog!

This is a blog dedicated to starting a discussion on the terroirs of Montalcino-predominantly terroirs existing in the Brunello di Montalcino growing district. As a managing partner of Azienda Agricola Terralsole (a new property planted in 1996), I have a vested interest in learning about ways to discuss the myriad of styles and results in the glass that Sangiovese Grosso imparts in our wines, and communicate this to consumers, gatekeepers of the trade, and other like minded growers in the appellation. Mario Bollag acquired and built Terralsole from the ground up in 1996, purchasing two distinctively different parcels of land in the Brunello di Montalcino growing district. Two terroirs exist on the cooler, well-ventilated Pian Bossolino parcel (contiguous to the winery, high on the southeastern slope behind Biondi Santi) and one terroir at Vigna Fonte Lattaia, which is lower in altitude, on the southwestern slopes bordering the road that links the Romanesque Abbey of S. Antimo to the hamlet of S. Angelo in Colle. As the local and international debates rage on about defining terroirs in Montalcino, Mario Bollag has adhered to his principles and artistic vision. That vision over twenty years ago led him to the conclusion that different terroirs exist on the mountain and to establish them is to give him a broader more colorful palette from which to work his non-formulaic method in the vineyard and cellar. Our first wine was the 2000 Brunello di Montalcino.