I bet that got your attention. Who is saying that about this wine? No one I know but in reading about the wines and the story behind the couple that make this labor of love, it seems all to familiar in philosophy and the style of winemaking to Stella di Campalto. Plus it is also a micro-production wine!
I offered this out last week to our Brunello and hard core Italian readership and have just a couple 6 packs left. I thought this might get some interest here in CC. In stock next week!
In the new and interesting camp, we have a brand spanking new Brunello producer from Kermit Lynch. I had read about J.G. Benda last year when Kermit Lynch made the announcement and it definitely piqued my interest, particularly as they were an outsider by origin and not old-line locals (not many new producers are these days). Many of the BEST new Brunello producers are from outside the region and have arrived to take things in a great and new direction! I love the classic producers in Brunello, not so much any of the modern producers, but the newest producers tend to make classic expressions through different farming or winemaking techniques that take the best of the old and new to make a great example of Brunello that identifies itself as Tuscan from Montalcino, but in their own original way! The wines are so new that a Brunello has yet to be released, just a cracking Rosso di Montalcino that seems to be following in the lines of Stella di Campalto in that as a Rosso, it alone can best many a Brunello! More details below!
Very limited but in stock next week, good scores too!
J. G. Benda Rosso di Montalcino 2022
$75.99 on 3+ bottles
(use special Berserkers Code: BENDA3)
$79.99 regular
Mags 1.5L: $xxx.xx (SOLD OUT)
94+ points Wine Advocate
This is an exciting wine from J. G. Benda. Showing authenticity and the detailed-minded personality of its creator, the 2022 Rosso di Montalcino will be sold in March 2025. This wine shines with ruby intensity that is transferred to the bouquet with bright red fruit and wild cherry. There is a beautiful sense of purity and lightness that is almost fragile. I love the lingering intensity that is delivered with such a delicate hand. I can’t wait to see what the future brings for this up-and-coming artisanal winemaker.
• 100% Sangiovese, all grapes are destemmed
• Spontaneous fermentation with native yeast in stainless steel for 2-3 weeks
• Pumpovers as needed during fermentation
• Aged for 20 months in 25 hL French and Slavonian oak botti
• Bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Vines planted in 1998, 2006
• Soils: Limestone, sandstone, galestro
• Vineyard Area 1.85 ha
The Wine Advocate cont’d: The story of J. G. Benda (John Gregory Benda and his partner Zoë) is one of the most inspiring I have encountered in recent years. Formerly in London banking, John Benda enjoyed a huge passion for classical wines. He called Alessandro Mori of Il Marroneto and volunteered to work in his cellars for a few harvests, learning the ropes from his mentor. But buying land in a prohibitively expensive blue-chip appellation such as Brunello di Montalcino is nearly impossible. Only big corporations can afford vineyards today. John Benda considered selling his apartment in London to buy a hectare of vines (that idea is still on the table, in fact), but then a lightning bolt of good fortune struck. By chance, he ran across a foreclosure notice on land in Montalcino in a listing he happened to see in his native Rome. He bid at the auction, and because the listing was so obscure, he ended up winning the bid for the land.
He now has two hectares of vines surrounded by beautiful forests in a hidden track at the end of a muddy dirt road. He is an organic and biodynamic farmer and does everything by hand. There is no electricity or water on the property. He collects rain water with plastic tarps so that he can wash his tools. On the packaging for J. G. Benda’s wine, he writes, “Follow our muddy tracks.” I happened to notice those muddy jeep tracks over the course of the days I spent in Montalcino.
This is a winemaker who is ready to risk everything for his passion, and he is ready to embrace the enormous manual work required to make his dream come true. He rented winery space, bought equipment and set off with his inaugural 2021 vintage.
Winemaking is straightforward. John Benda picks by physiological ripeness (he is not driven by sugars). Harvest is done by hand, fruit is destemmed and fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts. He has no temperature control and does manual pump-overs for delicate cap management. His wines mature in Slavonian oak casks and are only racked if necessary, according to the lunar calendar. He bottles directly from casks without filtering. Microbiological studies play a critical role when deciding when to harvest and when to bottle.
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