I was invited to sit the Castello Banfi Seminar at Trio, along with a handful of other cork dorks…retailers, restaurateurs and writers. There were about 20 of us and about 240 glasses of wine! I really didn’t know what I was in for until I sat down and looked at the tasting sheet. Lined up before me were actual clonal selections of Sangiovese, Clone BF 30, Clone Janus 10 and Clone Janus 50. We tasted each on their own and then blended together. We had some other fantastic wines too, but i was more interested in the clones, because it was such a treat to actually taste the process. And what a process it was to get to where they are now.

They began the process with 180 different Clones of Sangiovese which they narrowed down to 15, and then down to 3, which they registered with the Italian government. So now anyone can purchase these clones. The process took 10 years, but to Banfi and the Mariani family it was worth it. And, sharing the technology is worth it too, because their Pursuit of Excellence philosophy includes the idea that they don’t want people drinking more wine, but rather they want more people drinking wine…so the quality must be there.

Banfi started out as a negociant company under the Mariani family importing French wines, but as they saw a need for more “American palate” wine, they decided to get into the wine making world themselves, so they could control the quality and craft the style. The purchased land in Montalcino, one of the most beautiful places in the world-in my opinion-and began their pursuit. Winemaker Rudi Buratti has been with them since he was fresh out of school and all the Banfi folks function like Family. I think this ideal is what keeps them fine tuned, even though they are a huge company. They make so many great wines from affordable everyday wine to collectibles; and, each one is made with care and precision.

We know that Banfi will continue to craft wines that are clean, with minimized sulfites and histamines and of course which drink really gorgeously, so that other folks will have to jump on the quality control train in order to keep up. It’s a Wine Win for everyone!