Castiglion del Bosco is a wine estate in Montalcino, in the province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It works within the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, and its wines come from Sangiovese. The estate is part of a larger property that includes a restored medieval hamlet, but the wine side is centred on the Montalcino vineyards.
Brunello di Montalcino is made entirely from Sangiovese, known locally as Brunello. The appellation was one of the first in Italy to receive DOCG status. Montalcino sits on a hill south of Siena, and its climate is warmer and drier than much of Chianti, with Monte Amiata shaping rainfall and temperature to the south-east. Vineyards at different altitudes and on different soils, from clay and limestone to galestro and sandstone, produce Brunellos ranging from supple and fruit-driven to firm and structured. The wines are known for high acidity, firm tannins and a capacity for long ageing.
Production rules require extended maturation before release. Brunello must spend at least two years in oak and a minimum period in bottle, and it cannot be sold until the sixth year after harvest begins, counting from 1 January of the harvest year. Riserva bottlings have a longer total ageing requirement and are released a year later. The Millecento 1100 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, here from the 2015 vintage, is the estate's Riserva expression of the appellation, made from Sangiovese.
