Le Chiuse, Montalcino

11 minutes ago

4 min read

The origins of Brunello di Montalcino and Le Chiuse winery are inseparable. This vineyard is situated on the land which formed part of the Biondi Santi estate since the18th century. Its present custodian, Simonetta Valiani, is the niece of Franco Biondi Santi and granddaughter of no other than the “father” of Brunello di Montalcino: Tancredi Biondi Santi.

Le Chiuse is the same vineyard that originally provided the grapes used to make the famous Biondi Santi Riserva. Simonetta Valiani took over this part of the Biondi Santi estate in the late 1980’s, and along with her husband Nicolò Magnelli, proceeded to restore the farmhouse buildings, the chapel and in 2002, built the underground cellar. At the same time, she instigated new plantings. Later in 2017, an extension to the cellar was added.

Today and for the past 22 vintages the estate has been overseen by Simonetta’s son, Lorenzo Magnelli, who is the highly regarded and gifted winemaker.

The estate is situated on the North East of the Montosoli hill, highly revered and recognised location for producing prestigious Brunello di Montalcino due to its terroir.

Le Chiuse vineyards are located between 320 and 350 metres above sea level.The soil composition is a mixture of crumbly argillaceous schist (clay and limestone), fine marl and sandstone, layered with oceanic fossils because of its marine origin. Any high rock concentration significantly raises the soils PH and allows the vines roots to dig deep for nutrients.

This particular geological structure prevents water retention and reduces vine vigour.

Another very important factor is a late summer, evening cooling breeze from the sea.

The impact of all this is characterised by intense aromatic complexity, vibrant acidity, prominent minerality and refined elegant tannins.

The area under vine cover extends to 8 hectares.

Three wines produced by Le Chiuse today are:

Rosso di Montalcino

Brunello di Montalcino

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Diecianni (in very fine vintage years)

The first vintage of Le Chiuse was in 1993.

An important caveat in the will of Tancredi Biondi Santi forbids the sale of this estate to anyone other than family and is only ever to be used for wine production.

As a result, the Le Chiuse vineyard was leased to the Biondi Santi winery, until the change of direct production to the Magnelli family.

Other points of interest: the barrels acquisition and selection is closely supervised by winemaker Lorenzo Magnelli: no flame or fire is used in their manufacture only steam to produce the desired shape. They are mainly Slavonian oak botti. The yields are very low. Le Chiuse Riserva Diecianni is not released until 10 years after harvest.

My tastings progressed initially with samples from barrels from 2023, 2024 and 2025.

The fermented wine from two distinctive soil types (sandy and clay) are kept in separate barrels to evolve and they show quite different character traits as one would expect.

The 2025 barrel samples revealed, even at this early stage, wine showing extreme quality and phenomenal depth and complexity, which will undoubtedly be lauded as one of the great vintages of Le Chiuse… perhaps even the best!

Of the other two barrel samples the 2024 slightly edges the 2023 in terms of quaffability at this stage, both being totally different but exceptional.

The second part of my tasting, took place seated in an extraordinary age-old room full of wine history.

Five bottles were presented, one of which I asked for, causing Lorenzo to ask why, as many people would have chosen a more special bottle such as a riserva. My explanation was quite simple, I tasted this wine years ago at its release, and I was aware my appraisal of it was not sufficiently accurate, because the atmosphere at that particular tasting was far from perfect.

Re tasting that vintage confirmed my error, as shown in the tasting notes from this recent visit below.

Wine tasting is not an exact science and Sangiovese is a grape that constantly makes fools of the mortals that define its qualities and character.

Tasting Notes

Le Chiuse Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2024

Bright medium garnet red in colour. Sweet accents abound on the aromatic profile, alongside violet florals. Dark cherry, blackcurrant, distant liquorice nuances, savoury and earthy notes. Linear and concentrated from mid palate, a damp smoky overtone lifts the interest to the close.

Points 92 TW

Le Chiuse Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2022 (To be released January 2027)

Medium ruby red in colour. Recently bottled and needing time to relax. Aromatics slightly subdued prior to aeration. Black berries, spicy and peppery notes, very expressive and full of spark and vigour. Balanced, fresh, savoury with complex minerality. Will reserve my final words to next year (January) when I will re-taste.

Points 93/96 TW

Le Chiuse Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2021

Medium ruby red in colour with translucent outer rim. Has put on some weight since my first tasting at the beginning of the year, yet still portrays a Burgundian character, so light in texture yet so expressive in character. Noticeable nuances include cherry, spice, mild herbal notes, layered minerality. Classy, elegant, balanced and refined. Just starting a long journey.

Points 97+ TW

Le Chiuse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Diecianni DOCG 2018

Medium ruby red in colour with purple outer rim. Aromatic floral canopy consists of violet, bluebell and a hint of lavender. On the palate: wild cherry, salty liquorice, orange peel, dark berry fruits, damp leaf litter, rounded tannins, acidity still showing an energetic pulse. On the back end: an intriguing mix of dark smoky notes, spicy bitter chocolate and balsamic nuances. Impressive.

Points 96+ TW

Le Chiuse Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2015

Deep ruby red in colour. Compelling bouquet of violet and lavender florals, oriental wood nuances with dark cherry, blueberry, blackcurrant and a hint of spice. On the palate a shade below full bodied, intense, balanced, with quality fruit bursting through its veins, savoury and yet so juicy, a shadow remains of refined tannins structure and fresh acidity. Today a wine of expressive confidence. (Previously tasted in 2019 Points 93-95 TW)

Points 97 TW