Patrizia Cencioni is the all female, family-run operation from the south east of Montalcino with some very exciting Brunello. We started working closely with the estate in 2022 and it’s been a pleasure to host the wonderful Annalisa Cencioni at a few of our tastings. We’re permanently impressed with each of these wines – from Rosso to Riserva, it’s a superb portfolio and the prices are always as keen as they come.
Patrizia Cencioni opened her own winery in 1989 after years of inspiration drawn from the lessons of her grandfather, Giuseppe Cencioni, who was a founding member of the Brunello di Montalcino Consorzio. Patrizia pioneered an entirely agricultural approach to her winemaking, hand-harvesting the fruit and fermenting with entirely indigenous yeasts. Her stunning 9ha of Sangiovese vines run alongside ancient olive orchards, overlook Val d'Orcia and benefit greatly from the high altitude climate and combination of volcanic and Tuscany’s famed Galestro soil.
The Wine
Stylistically the wines are deep, nuanced and beautifully perfumed, influenced by their altitude and the intensity of the soil. Cencioni makes one of our favourite Rossos that clearly falls into the baby Brunello category. The Brunello is naturally a class above, as is the gorgeous Riserva. In 2018 Cencioni also introduced Ofelio, the selection of the best grapes from the estate across all vineyards and dedicated to Patrizia Cencioni’s great uncle.
