This review of the Frescobaldi 2013 Brunello de Montalcino Castelgiocondo is an experiment to see if half bottles age quicker than full bottle wines.
The history of Frescobaldi dates back to the early 1300s, when the family began making wine southwest of Florence. It became famous in the 1400s for supplying wines to Renaissance artists like Donatello (in the video, I said Donatelli…..sorry!)
Castelgiocondo is actually a place in Tuscany which consists of castle and small village. Only certain areas of Castelgiocondo are used for wine grape growing. Castelgiocondo was one of the first vineyards to produce Brunello in the late 1800s. The castle was built in 1100 to defend to road leading from Sienna to the sea. On the label, you will see someone on a horse…that is a condotterie, or a commander who led troops in 1323 in attack on Montemassi Castle.
Castelgiocondo is an ideal site for growing Sangiovese grapes because of its clay & limestone soil, southwest exposure and high elevation (approximately 300 m above sea level.
The wine is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. The wine is fermented in stainless steel then aged in Slovonian oak casks and French oak barrels for a minimum of 2 years and then further aged in bottle for 4 months before release.
For more information about this winery,, please check out their website at