In the heart of Maremma, Jacopo Biondi Santi and his sons are dedicated to continuing a story of Italian quality wine, passing it down to new generations. The Biondi Santi family has earned a place in the tradition of Italian wine thanks to their lively and passionate inventiveness, a hallmark of their heritage from the beginning. The roots of this brilliant adventure go back to the 1800s when Ferruccio Biondi Santi planted the first vineyard in Montalcino with vines from a selected clone of Sangiovese, known as Sangiovese Grosso or Brunello: it was the first step towards a new way of winemaking that would soon become part of Italian wine history.
JACOPO BIONDI SANTI'S JOURNEY AND CASTELLO DI MONTEPÒ
A Brave and Modern Vision
Driven by the same curiosity and spirit of innovation, Tancredi, his son, was one of the early proponents of creating the guidelines for the related DOCG, as well as the father of the particular practice of re-corking old Reserves. Franco, during his 43-year tenure at the helm of the company, worked tirelessly – and succeeded – in elevating the Biondi Santibrand to a global reference point for excellence in Italian winemaking craftsmanship. An extraordinary winemaking legacy, the result of over a century and a half of history, was inherited by Franco’s son, Jacopo. He, in the spirit of enterprise passed down by his ancestors, has breathed new life into traditions with wines in a contemporary style. To complete his brave and modern vision, Jacopo Biondi Santi chose Castello di Montepò, in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma. Here, with the same determination as the impregnable medieval fortress that remained unconquered for centuries, Jacopo cultivates Sangiovese Grosso BBS 11, the family’s exclusive heritage, along with international varieties that create labels expressing the vigorous individuality of a man determined to build his family’s future, making it even brighter than in the past. This intensive work converges with experience, intuition, and winemaking rigor, and Jacopo Biondi Santi is joined every day by his children Tancredi, Clemente, and Clio.
Tancredi Biondi Santi
Winemaking Innovation and Viticultural Excellence
Originally from Siena, where he completed his school studies, Tancredi then moved to Florence to begin his studies in Viticulture and Enology at the Faculty of Agriculture, delving into topics, practices, and techniques that had deeply influenced his life from a young age. From the beginning of his university experience, Tancredi combined his work at the family company, particularly focusing on foreign markets and supporting his father Jacopo in management and administrative decisions. As a passionate traveler and lover of different cultures, he has been at the forefront of the new direction of Castello di Montepò since 2017, where he has entirely restructured the management and coordinates the Montepò 2030 project team.
INTERWEAVING OF HISTORY
An ancestor of the family, in the 18th century, studied the orography and flora of the territory
Giorgio Santi, at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, was one of the most important scholars and explorers of the Tuscan natural environment. Born in Pienza in 1746, he earned his degree in Medicine in Siena and studied in France before returning to Florence, called back by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo. The Grand Duke, having established a new chair in Natural Sciences and Chemistry, appointed him as a professor at the University of Pisa, where he also served as the director of the Museum of Natural History and the prefect of the Botanical Garden. In a written account from 1806 that chronicles his travels in Tuscany, Giorgio Santi attested to the natural richness of the Scansano and Castello di Montepò territory, laying the groundwork for an enological nobility legitimized by a strong scientific foundation that would one day find its highest expression in Ferruccio Biondi Santi. Thanks to Jacopo’s commitment and determination, today the Estate and the Castle constitute a unique and highly valuable entity, entirely owned by this family.