Brunello di Montalcino is one of the smallest controlled origins in Italy, but stands for one of the best red wines of the entire country. The region is named after a special clone of the Sangiovese grape variety found everywhere in Tuscany, which was discovered and developed at least 150 years ago on the "Il Greppo" estate of Clemente Biondi-Santi. The small region, located about 112 kilometers south of Florence, with its pretty historic town of Siena, was not even 100 hectares in size 50 years ago, and just a few producers made wine here, but among them still, Biondi Santi's "Il Greppo", whose wines enjoy cult status among collectors and connoisseurs. In the 1980s and 90s, the region experienced a rapid rise, the vineyard area increased to 1,300 hectares and top producers from other corners of Tuscany or even Italy began to take an interest, amongst them Marquese Antinori from Florence and Angela Gaja from Piedmont. Today, Brunello di Montalcino stands for an exclusive number of absolute top wines, but they cannot be had for small money, if only because of their scarce availability. The wines here are more powerful and full-bodied than elsewhere in Tuscany. This is especially due to the location, because the vineyards are located at about 250 meters above sea level and thus clearly lower than those of Chianti or Vino Nobile. Here, above all, the warm, Mediterranean influence is much more noticeable than in those regions that lie further inland. In contrast to Chianti or Vino Nobile, a Brunello is always produced absolutely single-vineyard.