Biondi Santi – Brunello di Montalcino ‘Il Greppo’ RISERVA No. 9599 1945

Biondi-Santi – Brunello di Montalcino Riserva ‘Il Greppo’ 1945: A liquid monument to the post-war era and the birth of a legend

There are bottles of wine that are less a drink than a historical document – a liquid witness to a bygone era in which Italy, in the wake of the devastation of the Second World War, was searching for hope and a return to normality, and Montalcino’s wine-growing industry stood on the threshold of world-class status. The bottle under discussion here – a 1945 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva from Biondi-Santi’s Tenuta Il Greppo – is precisely such a relic. It comes from one of Italy’s most legendary wine-making dynasties, from one of the world’s smallest and most exclusive appellations, and from a vintage that the estate itself describes as a ‘vendemmia eccezionale’ – an exceptional harvest. Tasting a bottle of this wine today is no ordinary encounter with an Italian red wine, but a journey into the quiet grandeur of a region that invented Brunello, and into a wine that not only withstands the test of time but seems to defy it.

The historical significance: the second Riserva after the war

To understand this wine, one must understand its history. The 1945 vintage was no ordinary one for Biondi-Santi. As the estate notes in its official records, it was a ‘vendemmia eccezionale’ – an exceptional harvest – which took place in the immediate post-war period. Even more significant is the fact that this wine was only the second Riserva ever to be created by Tancredi Biondi Santi – the son of the founder, Ferruccio – following the legendary 1925 Riserva. This historical context makes the 1945 vintage one of the earliest and rarest examples of the Biondi-Santi Riserva tradition, which is still regarded today as the epitome of the world’s longest-lived wine. The Riserva is produced only in exceptional vintages, and the estate’s total annual production stands at around 80,000 bottles, of which only around 6,000 bottles are allocated to the Riserva in top vintages . The 1945 vintage is therefore not merely a wine, but a piece of viticultural history that documents the birth of a legend.

Origin and winemaking DNA: Sangiovese Grosso and Slavonian oak

The grapes for this Riserva come – as the estate reports – ‘molto probabilmente’ from the vines at Tenuta Greppo and the Scarnacuoia vineyard . These plots would later lead to the selection of Sangiovese Grosso, which became known as BBS11 (Brunello Biondi Santi 11) and was officially recognised in 1978. This grape variety is the key to the wine’s exceptional longevity: its thick skins, lively acidity and rich tannin profile form the structural framework capable of withstanding decades of ageing. The vinification follows the estate’s time-honoured methods: the wine was aged for four years in Slavonian oak barrels – a tradition that Biondi-Santi continues to this day because it promotes the wine’s longevity. This was followed by an extremely long period of bottle ageing in the dark, quiet cellars of ‘La Storica’, the historic ageing cellar at Tenuta Greppo, where all the historic Riserva vintages are carefully preserved. The alcohol content is 12.5% vol. – a remarkably moderate figure for a wine of this concentration and age, which underlines the estate’s balanced, terroir-driven style.

A particularly noteworthy detail of this specific bottle is the ‘ricolmatura’ – the topping up. The estate states that the vintage was topped up for the first time in 1970 and again in 1985, with the cork being replaced on both occasions. This practice of careful maintenance over decades is unique and testifies to the extraordinary dedication with which Biondi-Santi nurtures and preserves its historic vintages. It is also the reason why bottles of this age can still, with a certain degree of probability, be intact – the wine has not simply been left to its own devices, but has been actively cared for across generations.

The sensory experience: a mosaic of truffles, forest floor and perfect symmetry

Tasting a bottle of the 1945 Biondi-Santi Riserva today is an experience of rare depth and complexity. The colour is the first indication of its maturity: the wine displays a light, luminous hue that still appears youthful, with a mature, tawny rim that betrays its age without showing any signs of fatigue. The nose is this wine’s first major revelation. Nicholas Belfrage MW described it in his tasting note for *The World of Fine Wine* as a blend of ‘fresh and dried fruits, tea leaves and herbs, leather, mushrooms and truffles’ – an aroma that embodies the essence of a great, mature Brunello. Another tasting note adds hints of tar and lush, forest-floor-like nuances, whilst a Chinese source mentions blueberries, strawberries, sour cherries and raspberries, underpinned by redcurrant, prune and earth. This range of descriptions – from truffles and leather, through sour cherries and forest floor, to tar and dried herbs – paints a picture of a wine that tells its story in layers: from the fruit of its youth, the spice of its maturation and the earthy depth of its age.

On the palate, the true greatness of this wine unfolds. Belfrage describes it as having ‘wonderful balance’ and notes an impression of ‘perfect symmetry’ – a description that underlines the wine’s extraordinary harmony. The texture is silky and velvety; the tannins are fully integrated, leaving a soft, powdery impression. The acidity is still lively and lends the wine remarkable freshness and length – a legacy of Montalcino’s cool, hilly terroir and the Sangiovese Grosso grape. The finish is exceptionally long and lingering, with notes of truffle, forest floor and a subtle mineral salinity. The tasting note on Tastingbook describes the wine as “one of the world’s longest-lasting wines”, thereby confirming the legendary longevity of this Riserva. A taster on Delectable, who sampled a similar Biondi-Santi Riserva, summed it up perfectly: “Probably past its apogee butfk is this good”** – an expression of the awe-struck wonder that these wines still evoke, even after decades.

The ratings and their context

The ratings for the 1945 Biondi-Santi Riserva reflect its exceptional quality and its ability to win over even seasoned critics. Nicholas Belfrage MW awarded it an outstanding 19.5 out of 20 points in *The World of Fine Wine* (Issue 4, 2005) – a rating that underlines this wine’s status as an absolute top-tier wine. Tastingbook records a Tb score of 89 points, calculated from the aggregation of professional critics’ ratings and thousands of user reviews. The Wine-Searcher platform shows that the wine ranks amongst the most sought-after and most expensive Italian wines of all. This range of high ratings demonstrates that the Biondi-Santi Riserva 1945 is a wine that can be perceived very differently depending on the bottle, storage conditions and personal taste, but which consistently impresses at the very highest level. The fact that bottles of this wine are still traded today at auctions held by Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Hart Davis Hart underlines its status as a coveted collector’s item and a living monument to Italian wine history.

Drinking maturity and serving: A wine at a crossroads

The question of when an almost eighty-year-old wine is ready to drink is of particular importance. The wine has undoubtedly left its youthful fruitiness behind and is now in a phase of full maturity, in which tertiary aromas dominate. Its structure – the combination of lively acidity and soft tannins – suggests that the wine can still be enjoyed at a high standard for a few more years, though no further improvement is to be expected. Tastingbook states that the wine should be drunk ‘now’ and recommends a decanting time of 45 minutes. Anyone lucky enough to own a well-stored bottle should therefore open it in the coming years to experience it in its current, complex splendour. The serving recommendation is clear: the wine should be served at a temperature of 16 to 17 degrees Celsius to bring out its delicate aromas and structure to the full. It is a perfect accompaniment to game fowl, braised beef, lamb or mature hard cheese – and it is a wine that deserves to be savoured on its own and in tranquillity, as a meditation on time and the enduring power of a great terroir.

Conclusion: The quiet grandeur of a liquid monument

The Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva ‘Il Greppo’ 1945 is not a wine that basks in the limelight. It is not a ‘Grand Cru’ in the marketing-driven sense, celebrated as a legend in every wine magazine, and it is available only in vanishingly small quantities – a rare bottling from one of the world’s smallest and most exclusive appellations, reserved primarily for connoisseurs and collectors. And yet it embodies a virtue that is often overlooked in today’s wine world: the quiet, enduring greatness of a wine that has emerged from one of Tuscany’s most historically significant vineyards, the steadfast craftsmanship of one of Italy’s most legendary winemaking families, and a vintage that went down in the annals as a ‘vendemmia eccezionale’. It is the result of a fortunate combination of Sangiovese Grosso from Tenuta Greppo and Scarnacuoia, four years in Slavonian oak, decades of bottle ageing in the cellars of ‘La Storica’, and the careful tending through several top-ups in 1970 and 1985. It reminds us that true class is not always expressed through spectacular opulence or a famous name, but often through the ability to develop its own subtle and deeply satisfying character in response to the conditions of the times. Its greatness lies in its modesty – a quiet triumph of consistency and a worthy ambassador for Montalcino, Tenuta Il Greppo and the centuries-old tradition of the Biondi-Santi family, who invented Brunello and have preserved it in its purest form to this day.