Brunello di Montalcino: the saint with his finger pointing upward

A grand tour of Italy’s finest wine territories, from Barolo to Valpolicella, passing through Chianti and Montalcino, to showcase the best of Italian winemaking. Just as the finest of Leonardo’s artistic output, in his most celebrated works: from Bacchus to Virgin of the Rocks, the Lady with an Ermine and Saint John the Baptist.
It is precisely this last work that is the first of the 14 Masterpieces to be unveiled at the Benvenuto Brunello event (15 and 16 February in Montalcino). The work, an oil on walnut panel created by Leonardo between 1505 and 1514 approximately and currently held in Paris at the Louvre, was chosen to grace the label of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2012.
The Masterpieces from Cantine Leonardo da Vinci are wines made according to the Leonardo Method®, an approach from vineyard to cellar inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s teachings, reinterpreted today by Cantine’s winemakers to express the finest qualities of the territory where they operate: in the case of Brunello we are in Montalcino, in the heart of Tuscany, where one of the world’s most prestigious, sought-after wines takes shape. Brunello di Montalcino is the progenitor of Italian reds, the epitome of Tuscany: power, classicism and elegance, a harmonious combination of refined characteristics. This Brunello is transparent, deep purple in colour. On the nose it displays intense fruity notes, such as blackberry, blackcurrant and cherries. On the palate it is full-bodied and rich, with soft fruity nuances that echo the olfactory notes, beautifully balanced by good acidity.
Saint John the Baptist, the saint with his finger pointing upward and with the sweetest smile, is one of Leonardo’s most enigmatic works. “It is animated by the impetuousness of gesture, the quintessence of irrepressible spirituality, and by the intensity of the hypnotic gaze that, questioning the observer, suggests a transcendent, inner enigma, beyond the visible,” explains Alessandro Vezzosi in his latest book Leonardo: Painting – A New Vision (Giunti, 2018). “Look at that finger pointing upward: Leonardo promises Paradise,” wrote Picasso.