WWS 20th Anniversary Series: Biondi-Santi, Where Brunello Began - Delafield

Twenty years ago, Waterford Wine & Spirits opened its doors with a simple, ambitious belief: that Wisconsin deserved access to the world’s great wines, not as distant trophies but as living, shareable experiences. Two decades later, that belief has grown into a community built around curiosity, trust and the joy of discovery.

To mark our 20th anniversary, we’re doing what we love most: welcoming some of the world’s most revered wineries and putting them right where they belong — at the tasting table with you.

Biondi-Santi is not just a Brunello producer; it is the estate where Brunello di Montalcino, as we know it today, began. To taste the wine in a seminar setting is to step into a lineage that feels almost monastic in its discipline, shaped less by fashion than by conviction, patience and a long-standing belief in what Sangiovese can become with enough time.

The estate’s story begins in the mid-19th century with Clemente Santi and crystallizes under Ferruccio Biondi-Santi, who isolated the BBS11 clone of Sangiovese Grosso and committed to a style that prized longevity over immediacy. While much of Brunello has moved toward greater power, ripeness and polish, Biondi-Santi has stayed focused on restraint, structure and time as the final ingredient.

Wines available for purchase, with discounts offered that evening. Painting of the Biondi Santi winery.