Hegemony in Montalcino? A visit to Castello Banfi.

The car ride from the city circle in Montalcino to Castello Banfi estate is a breathtaking 15 minute drive on windy, narrow roads with post-card worthy views in every direction. Resting on the edges of the Montalcino DOCG, Castello Banfi has built a small wine and olive empire that spans some 7000 acres (1/3 vine, 1/3 grove, 1/3 forest). By comparison, the average Montalcino vineyard has roughly 25 acres. This American-owned estate is currently one of the most famous producers in Tuscany with tens of thousands of cases of each wine produced, much of it being shipped to the US.

From the time you turn onto the estates private roads, you realize that this isn’t just another Montalcino vineyard. Driving in the countryside of other parts of this wine region, we see signs claiming different patches of grape vines. Usually, in a minute or two in the car you pass by different sign after different sign, building appreciation for the small vineyard area and productions. Best said by a winemaker we spoke with, “This is what Montalcino is supposed to be about.”

The Banfi empire began as a small venture of the Marinelli family in New York City back in 1919. Over the next few decades the focus shifted from wine importer/distributor, to wine producer. As Americans and other wine industries began appreciating the style of Italian wine, John Mariani Jr. worked hard to continually introduce them to new things. In fact for this work, John Mariani Jr. has won many awards as an Ambassador of Tuscan wines back here in the United States. I feel he has contributed greatly to expanding the American palate exposing us to the great wines of Italy. That said, from an international perspective, perhaps the Banfi empire in Montalcino is a good thing. There is the argument that they have brought hundreds of jobs to Montalcino, a world-class resort with two fine dining establishments, and have been producing high quality wines for many years. In fact, the new world-class cooking school will offer those who can afford it (starting at $4000 with accommodations) a few days of training by Michelin-caliber chefs in the heart of Tuscany.

In my opinion though, the empire that Banfi has created couldn’t’ be in a worse place. Montalcino is a small Tuscan town on a giant hill, with boutique, family-owned and mostly family operated vineyards scattered around. It’s mostly filled with intimate restaurants, friendly Enoteca workers, small tasting rooms and gift shops that were built to showcase the hard work and tradition that goes into making a good Brunello. Banfi, on the other hand is huge. The staff were friendly, but they seemed more like assembly line workers rather than artisinal craftsman that put their heart and soul into their product. They couldn’t tell stories about the family that ran Banfi, in fact, it seemed as if they didn’t even know each other that well!

Does Banfi make good wines? Sure they do. Are their wines cheaper due to the scale of their production? In most cases, a bit cheaper. But is it worth it? Not to me. It was a thrill to visit Banfi - the landscape was beautiful, the converted castle, restaurants and tasting room was top notch architecture, and the amount of wine in one facility was just awesome…but a town like Montalcino could do without it.

And what about the two “World Class” restaurants on the Banfi estate? We ate lunch at the highly acclaimed Banfi Taverna (full review to come). With a bottle of wine the meal cost us around $100 Euros (roughly $160). Our first course was outstanding featuring small croûtons with different spreads (mushroom, truffle, meats) but we should have stopped there. My pasta course was inedible- I only had two bites. A pork chop was tough and wasn’t touched either. This was one of our more expensive meals in Montalcino and was definitely our least favorite. We actually didn’t finish most of our meal and following the wine tour and tasting, picked up a pizza at a small pizzaria in town. Of interest is that following our tour of the vineyards and estate, three other couples, two of whom were staying at the Banfi resort, all agreed that the food at the Taverna was subpar with meats being overcooked and pasta being bland. This place is a HUGE pass for me.

I’m planning a trip back to Montalcino this November, this time with my father. I’ll most likely head back to Castello Banfi to show my father the impressive estate and let him try the wines for himself in their world class gift shop and tasting room (image scene here). If you have a chance to visit Banfi or try their wines it’s worth it. In fact, it might be worth giving their Ristorante Castello Banfi a try as they continue to receive good reviews. Perhaps I’m being a bit too rough on Banfi, they are marketing and business geniuses who have played a major role in putting Montalcino on the mainstream wine map. In fact, they boast the following accolades (from their website):

• 11 Consecutive Years ~ Italy’s Premier Vineyard Estate at the VinItaly wine fair
• The first winery in the world to be internationally recognized for exceptional environmental, ethical and social responsibility (ISO 14001 and SA 8000) as well as an international leader in customer satisfaction (ISO 9001:2000).
• Winery of the Year by both Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits Magazine and Top Ten Wines (Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio all’Oro) by Wine Spectator.

Call me old fashioned or just plain silly, but I just expect something different from Montalcino.