Tre Monti "Classe 33" Romagna Sangiovese Serra 2021

There is a joke in Emilia-Romagna - in Romagna, if you are thirsty, they give you wine. In Emilia, they give you water.

Why the two goofball-brothers Vittorio and David Navacchia need to keep a joke alive that dates back to the Etruscans and Gauls, I am not sure. Actually, I am sure - it’s part of what makes Italians Italian, and links them very strongly to their land, history and culture. More on that in a minute. 

Because, “Hey wait” you ask, “Before you spin a yarn about two jocular Italian brother winemakers, why is your title ‘Blue-Chip Brunello and your story starts in Emilia-Romagna?” And that, my Brunello-loving friends, is the heart of the matter:

Over two decades ago the two brothers Navacchia became involved in a project to DNA trace the genetic material of Brunello’s singular grape, Sangiovese Grosso. This project was initiated by none other than Biondi Santi Brunello and the Italian government. Biondi Santi is the most famous, longest-lasting Brunello producer. In fact, for the first 100 years that Brunello was made, Biondi Santi was the only producer of Brunello. There are many Brunello producers now, and the governing body of Brunello decided to trace its grape’s roots.

What they found was rather shocking - the DNA family tree of Brunello is, of course, a mainstay of Montalcino, the town of Brunello. But the actual origin of this grape fell outside of Brunello di Montalcino. In fact, it was outside of Tuscany as a whole! And you’ll never guess where the trail took these interpreted researchers - into Emilia-Romagna, then further down into Romagna, to the town of Forli, and then up into Forli’s foothills, to the Petrignone estate, coordinates 44°12'35.2"N 11°56'41.9"E, about 70 miles away from Florence. That very estate is the birthplace of Sangiovese Grosso, the grape of Brunello, and it’s owned by the brothers Navacchia. 

When Vittorio and David learned of this, they hired a consultant to do a soil analysis and identify the perfect match between the land on their estate and this ancient clone of Sangiovese. That was more than 25 years ago. They have been patiently tending these vines, in this vineyard, and not creating the “Brunello” that they had in mind as a goal - they wanted to wait for the vines to fully mature, in order to create an amazing Sangiovese from this land. And indeed, they have:

The 2021 is a beautiful, rich, “Brunello” laced with dark cherries, mocha, chocolate, spices, licorice and leather. It literally explodes onto the palate with masses of dark cherries, plums, wild herbs, menthol and spices. Hard candy and gorgeous inner perfume emerge from a sweet, ripe and totally expressive core. The finish is elegant, decisive and eternal.  While being dark, weighty and muscular, it still has finesse.  An open expression of generous fruit that showcases right now in the wine’s seventh year – feel free to drink away, or cellar it for another two decades. 

This wine is a masterpiece, and I would dare you to put it up against any top-Brunello bottling that you choose. When I tasted this, its first vintage, at the Tre Monti estate, I was blown away with the quality, and then they let me know the price. I was stunned again. We took the U.S.’s entire allocation!—so don’t miss it. 

Just one more thing - why the Classe ’33? Dad - Sergio - bought the estate almost 60 years ago as a passion project. After Thea, their mom, passed away, the two boys along with Dad decided to reinvest and renew their Tre Monti estate. In addition to participating in the Brunello DNA project, they make many amazing wines, including one dedicated to their mom, Thea. The boys wanted to make a wine dedicated to their father, but their father forbade them to name a wine after him, less making him an eponym would be his epitaph. But, they all knew the Brunello project was coming. So they waited, nicknaming the project Classe ’33 for when their dad was born as a little joke, and thus avoiding the epitaph. When he passed away in the fall of 2022, they decided it was time to honor his commitment to this land and its wine. And just to continue their little joke, they released it in honor of their father, and without his name.