Why it matters
The producer
Tenute Silvio Nardi farms two estates on opposite sides of the Montalcino hill in southern Tuscany, and the gap between those two sides is the central fact of everything it produces. Casale del Bosco sits on the north-west slope, where Silvio Nardi arrived in 1950. Manachiara faces east. The same appellation, the same grape, and markedly different ground.
Sangiovese Grosso, called Brunello by growers in Montalcino, is the only variety planted across both estates for all DOCG and DOC production. Eighty hectares of vineyard spread across 36 individually named vineyards; 49 of those hectares carry the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG registration. The estate Brunello draws on parcels from both properties, assembled from 20 separately vinified lots, while the Manachiara cru keeps the east-facing vineyard apart as a single-site wine with a denser, more concentrated character.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Montalcino is a hilltop town in Siena province, and the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG covers a large and varied territory around it. Not all of that territory is the same. The northern and western slopes tend to higher altitude and cooler conditions; the southern and eastern slopes sit lower and warmer. The Nardi estates occupy both extremes: Casale del Bosco on the cooler north-west, Manachiara on the warmer south-east.
That orientation governs the wine range. The estate Brunello is blended across both zones to carry the full width of what the hill produces. Manachiara is kept separate precisely because its east-facing position generates fruit with a different density and concentration. In the glass, the difference between the estate label and the single-vineyard cru traces directly back to the difference in where those vines grow.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Vines are trained to spur cordon with six to eight buds per plant. Planting density runs from 5,000 to 6,000 vines per hectare, and yields are held to 50 to 60 quintals per hectare. The average vine age across the estates is 15 years, reflecting the wholesale replanting that began in the early 1990s.
The four proprietary clones certified in 2019 came from a selection process that evaluated around 120 original Sangiovese Grosso individuals through micro-vinification. The four certified clones came from the selection process. Cuttings from the four certified clones are available through the national registry to any grower in Italy who wants them.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range builds from Rosso di Montalcino DOC up through two distinct Brunello expressions, with the Occhio di Pernice as a separate passito category.
Rosso di Montalcino DOC is the earlier-drinking expression from the same two-estate vineyard base. Aged in steel rather than extended oak, it carries red cherry and plum on the nose, moderate tannin, lively acidity, and a clean, direct finish. It is the lightest bottle in the range and the most approachable without cellaring.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG estate label. It draws from 20 separately vinified lots across both Casale del Bosco and Manachiara, so the single bottle covers the full width of what the Nardi estates produce: north-west slope fruit and east-facing fruit, blended after separate vinification to show how the two halves of the appellation fit together. The wine is garnet with orange tints, expressive with red fruit and spice on the nose, full-bodied, firm in tannin, and persistent in flavor. A 2017 or 2019 vintage shows this character at a readable stage: open enough to drink, but clearly still in motion.