Montosoli. An Identity, an exclusive area, a cru always recognizable. An honor and a burden, 15 hectares of valuable land to the north of Montalcino set perfectly between the hill country and the plain Valdarbia. A cool and breezy area, thanks to the hill of Montalcino that protects from the sirocco wind to the south and the crossroads between the winds from the north and the east.
A microclimate that tends towards the dry, rains that come from the Atlantic that bathe the “land of vines” (cit. In Baricci) with a mixture of marl, shale and quartz, clay, amalgamated in a paste derived from marine elements from the Pliocene era.
Stony ground, stingy and hard to cultivate, and it is these seemingly negative characteristics that make it ideal for the pure Sangiovese grape. The rain will never stagnate. It nourishes the roots of the vines and passes through. A great potential for draining in wet years, a seasonal temperature not excessive in warmer ones. A moisture naturally controlled by the winds, consistent and calibrated maturation thanks to the excellent summer temperature range and the freshness of the area.
Montosoli has been wine land for at least five centuries. The relationship between this hill and the Sangiovese was rooted several hundred years before the success of Brunello in the World.
There are mentions of wine production ever since the creation of the first human settlement in the Villa, whose namesake is the same as the hill, built in 1555 by the famous architect Baldassare Peruzzi. The “Farm Montosoli”, with cellar and oil mill, included several farms including the “Colombaio”, of which our family is now the owner.
Older generations of Montalcinesi already understood the potential of the hill. The reputation of Montosoli as one of the best places for the production of wine in Montalcino was widespread as far back as two centuries ago, and Nello Baricci was aware of this since his youth.
In the 1950s the town of Montalcino was among the poorest of Italy and its population quickly passed from 12,000 people to 2,000.
In those years of total abandonment of the countryside and of emigration to big cities, it was Nello Baricci that chose, against the then current trend, to remain tied to this land. It was 1955
Grandpa says: “I remember from very young hearing about the wine from Montosoli as the best in Montalcino. Back then, every year the Italian Enoteca di Siena organized a Wine Competition and the Montesoli farm always won first prize.
When I decided to invest my hard-earned cash and move up from tenant to owner, I had no doubt about the place to choose for my property: Montosoli !. ”
No sooner said than done. The property comprised the Podere Colombaio and its surrounding land, all located on the East / South East of the hill, the best for sun exposure, soil composition and microclimate. The first farm to settle here and also the first to register it’s Brunello vineyards at the Chamber of Commerce of Siena, on 10th October 1966.
In 1967 he was among the founding members of the Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino, a free association of producers, of which Nello Baricci was vice-president for several years and later a member of the Board of Directors.
In 60 years of history the union Baricci / Montosoli has become so consolidated to become one entity between man and nature.
“The wine must be the truth” (Cit. Stephen Wong), the important thing is that it represents the ultimate expression of the bond that unites it to the territory where it was born and we are confident that Baricci firmly believes in this statement.