J. G. Benda Rosso di Montalcino 2023
J. G. Benda Rosso di Montalcino 2023
Regular price
$8799
$87.99
/
2022 for comparison, no 2023 score yet:
2022: 94+ points Wine Advocate
2022: 94+ points Wine Advocate
This is an exciting wine from J. G. Benda. Showing authenticity and the detailed-minded personality of its creator, the 2022 Rosso di Montalcino will be sold in March 2025. This wine shines with ruby intensity that is transferred to the bouquet with bright red fruit and wild cherry. There is a beautiful sense of purity and lightness that is almost fragile. I love the lingering intensity that is delivered with such a delicate hand. I can't wait to see what the future brings for this up-and-coming artisanal winemaker.
• 100% Sangiovese, all grapes are destemmed
• Spontaneous fermentation with native yeast in stainless steel for 2-3 weeks
• Pumpovers as needed during fermentation
• Aged for 20 months in 25 hL French and Slavonian oak botti
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Vines planted in 1998, 2006
• Soils: Limestone, sandstone, galestro
• Vineyard Area 1.85 ha
• 100% Sangiovese, all grapes are destemmed
• Spontaneous fermentation with native yeast in stainless steel for 2-3 weeks
• Pumpovers as needed during fermentation
• Aged for 20 months in 25 hL French and Slavonian oak botti
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Vines planted in 1998, 2006
• Soils: Limestone, sandstone, galestro
• Vineyard Area 1.85 ha
The story of J. G. Benda (John Gregory Benda and his partner Zoë) is one of the most inspiring I have encountered in recent years. Formerly in London banking, John Benda enjoyed a huge passion for classical wines. He called Alessandro Mori of Il Marroneto and volunteered to work in his cellars for a few harvests, learning the ropes from his mentor. But buying land in a prohibitively expensive blue-chip appellation such as Brunello di Montalcino is nearly impossible. Only big corporations can afford vineyards today. John Benda considered selling his apartment in London to buy a hectare of vines (that idea is still on the table, in fact), but then a lightning bolt of good fortune struck. By chance, he ran across a foreclosure notice on land in Montalcino in a listing he happened to see in his native Rome. He bid at the auction, and because the listing was so obscure, he ended up winning the bid for the land.
He now has two hectares of vines surrounded by beautiful forests in a hidden track at the end of a muddy dirt road. He is an organic and biodynamic farmer and does everything by hand. There is no electricity or water on the property. He collects rain water with plastic tarps so that he can wash his tools. On the packaging for J. G. Benda's wine, he writes, "Follow our muddy tracks." I happened to notice those muddy jeep tracks over the course of the days I spent in Montalcino.
This is a winemaker who is ready to risk everything for his passion, and he is ready to embrace the enormous manual work required to make his dream come true. He rented winery space, bought equipment and set off with his inaugural 2021 vintage.
Winemaking is straightforward. John Benda picks by physiological ripeness (he is not driven by sugars). Harvest is done by hand, fruit is destemmed and fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts. He has no temperature control and does manual pump-overs for delicate cap management. His wines mature in Slavonian oak casks and are only racked if necessary, according to the lunar calendar. He bottles directly from casks without filtering. Microbiological studies play a critical role when deciding when to harvest and when to bottle.
94+ points Wine Advocate
He now has two hectares of vines surrounded by beautiful forests in a hidden track at the end of a muddy dirt road. He is an organic and biodynamic farmer and does everything by hand. There is no electricity or water on the property. He collects rain water with plastic tarps so that he can wash his tools. On the packaging for J. G. Benda's wine, he writes, "Follow our muddy tracks." I happened to notice those muddy jeep tracks over the course of the days I spent in Montalcino.
This is a winemaker who is ready to risk everything for his passion, and he is ready to embrace the enormous manual work required to make his dream come true. He rented winery space, bought equipment and set off with his inaugural 2021 vintage.
Winemaking is straightforward. John Benda picks by physiological ripeness (he is not driven by sugars). Harvest is done by hand, fruit is destemmed and fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts. He has no temperature control and does manual pump-overs for delicate cap management. His wines mature in Slavonian oak casks and are only racked if necessary, according to the lunar calendar. He bottles directly from casks without filtering. Microbiological studies play a critical role when deciding when to harvest and when to bottle.
This is an exciting wine from J. G. Benda. Showing authenticity and the detailed-minded personality of its creator, the 2022 Rosso di Montalcino will be sold in March 2025. This wine shines with ruby intensity that is transferred to the bouquet with bright red fruit and wild cherry. There is a beautiful sense of purity and lightness that is almost fragile. I love the lingering intensity that is delivered with such a delicate hand. I can't wait to see what the future brings for this up-and-coming artisanal winemaker.
• 100% Sangiovese, all grapes are destemmed
• Spontaneous fermentation with native yeast in stainless steel for 2-3 weeks
• Pumpovers as needed during fermentation
• Aged for 20 months in 25 hL French and Slavonian oak botti
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Vines planted in 1998, 2006
• Soils: Limestone, sandstone, galestro
• Vineyard Area 1.85 ha
• 100% Sangiovese, all grapes are destemmed
• Spontaneous fermentation with native yeast in stainless steel for 2-3 weeks
• Pumpovers as needed during fermentation
• Aged for 20 months in 25 hL French and Slavonian oak botti
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Vines planted in 1998, 2006
• Soils: Limestone, sandstone, galestro
• Vineyard Area 1.85 ha
The story of J. G. Benda (John Gregory Benda and his partner Zoë) is one of the most inspiring I have encountered in recent years. Formerly in London banking, John Benda enjoyed a huge passion for classical wines. He called Alessandro Mori of Il Marroneto and volunteered to work in his cellars for a few harvests, learning the ropes from his mentor. But buying land in a prohibitively expensive blue-chip appellation such as Brunello di Montalcino is nearly impossible. Only big corporations can afford vineyards today. John Benda considered selling his apartment in London to buy a hectare of vines (that idea is still on the table, in fact), but then a lightning bolt of good fortune struck. By chance, he ran across a foreclosure notice on land in Montalcino in a listing he happened to see in his native Rome. He bid at the auction, and because the listing was so obscure, he ended up winning the bid for the land.
He now has two hectares of vines surrounded by beautiful forests in a hidden track at the end of a muddy dirt road. He is an organic and biodynamic farmer and does everything by hand. There is no electricity or water on the property. He collects rain water with plastic tarps so that he can wash his tools. On the packaging for J. G. Benda's wine, he writes, "Follow our muddy tracks." I happened to notice those muddy jeep tracks over the course of the days I spent in Montalcino.
This is a winemaker who is ready to risk everything for his passion, and he is ready to embrace the enormous manual work required to make his dream come true. He rented winery space, bought equipment and set off with his inaugural 2021 vintage.
Winemaking is straightforward. John Benda picks by physiological ripeness (he is not driven by sugars). Harvest is done by hand, fruit is destemmed and fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts. He has no temperature control and does manual pump-overs for delicate cap management. His wines mature in Slavonian oak casks and are only racked if necessary, according to the lunar calendar. He bottles directly from casks without filtering. Microbiological studies play a critical role when deciding when to harvest and when to bottle.
He now has two hectares of vines surrounded by beautiful forests in a hidden track at the end of a muddy dirt road. He is an organic and biodynamic farmer and does everything by hand. There is no electricity or water on the property. He collects rain water with plastic tarps so that he can wash his tools. On the packaging for J. G. Benda's wine, he writes, "Follow our muddy tracks." I happened to notice those muddy jeep tracks over the course of the days I spent in Montalcino.
This is a winemaker who is ready to risk everything for his passion, and he is ready to embrace the enormous manual work required to make his dream come true. He rented winery space, bought equipment and set off with his inaugural 2021 vintage.
Winemaking is straightforward. John Benda picks by physiological ripeness (he is not driven by sugars). Harvest is done by hand, fruit is destemmed and fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts. He has no temperature control and does manual pump-overs for delicate cap management. His wines mature in Slavonian oak casks and are only racked if necessary, according to the lunar calendar. He bottles directly from casks without filtering. Microbiological studies play a critical role when deciding when to harvest and when to bottle.
