100% Sangiovese. Fonterenza grows four contiguous hectares of hilly vineyards just southeast of the town of Montalcino. The crown jewel of their holdings is a 1.6-hectare parcel valled Vigna del Bosco, so named for the fact that the steep, south-facing, amphitheater-shaped vineyard is entirely surrounded by thick woods. The Padovanis planted this special sit in 1999. The soils are complex, limestone-rich and widely varied from top to bottom of the hill. The vineyard is farmed biodynamically and harvested by hand in multiple passes.

Like their vineyard work, Fonterenza's cellar work is mindful and meticulous. The bunches are destemmed by hand and fermented spontaneously in Slavonian oak vats with a maceration of up to a month; in the very hot 2017 vintage, the maceration was shortened to 15 days. Total aging clocks in at six years, the first three in large Slavonian oak botti and the second three years in smaller barrels--but to preserve fruit and freshness in the 2017, that second stretch was spent in cement tanks instead. The Brunello is always bottled without filtration. Due to the lengthy aging, Fonterenza's current release is usually two vintages behind the rest of the Brunello market.