Bellaria is an estate winery in Località (Podere) Bellaria in the Montalcino region of Tuscany, Italy. Its main wines are Sant’Antimo Rosso DOC, Rosso di Montalcino DOC and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. Bellaria first came into being on 23rd September 1963, when Assunto (‘Sunto’) Pieri and Bruna Tempori (former mezzadri I would imagine) purchased a farmhouse and land in Montalcino. Over the years, Bruna and “Sunto”, as everyone in Montalcino calls him, extended and improved their property. In 2000, their nephew (grandson?) Gianni Bernazzi took over the direction of the estate, bringing a degree of modernisation.

Estate vineyards: 500 metres. 40ha of land in total. Mainly Sangiovese. Also an IGT red.

Winemaking:

Production: Around 6000 bottles.

Red wines

Sant’Antimo Rosso DOC:

Rosso di Montalcino DOCG, Bellaria: 2013 3,300 bottles. Simple and savoury (Anteprima 2015).

Rosso di Montalcino DOC, Assunto: From the best Rosso grapes. Ferments in stainless steel.

Winemaking: Remontage and delestage. Aged in Slavonian botti and barrels. | 2012 2,500 bottles. Blackcurrant nose, lots of oak tannin, blobby style (Anteprima 2014). | 2014 100% aged 8m in tonneaux. Simple pretty fruit (Anteprima 2016).

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Bellaria: 2000 Stinky nose but to taste had nice wild fruit, old style, decent but flawed (Anteprima 2005). | 2009 4,000 bottles. Bretty I think, odd nose anyway (Anteprima 2014). | 2010 2,500 bottles. | 2011 28 months in French oak (40%) and botti (60%). Good rich international style (Anteprima 2016). | 2014 Slightly chocolate vanilla, simple, not really the depth or complexity for a Brunello (Anteprima 2019).

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Assunto: From the best Brunello grapes in the ‘Assunto’ vineyard named after and planted by grandfather Assunto. 3–3.5 tonnes per hectare. Ferments in stainless steel. Pump over and delestage. 30 months in 75hl oak vats (French and Slavonian. | 2009 2,000 bottles. | 2010 2,000 bottles. Bit of cork or brett maybe on this, bit dry maybe, not bad style (Anteprima 2015). | 2011 28m in French oak. Nice depth of fruit and tannins but somewhat rustic and angular (Anteprima 2016).

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Riserva, Bellaria | 2010 30 months in French tonneaux. 100 points from James Suckling. Very seductive style (Anteprima 2016).

Sweet wines

Vin Santo

Other crops: Grappa di Brunello.  Olive oil from the Olivastra, Correggiolo, Frantoio and Leccino varieties.

Contact

L’Azienda Agricola Bellaria

Loc. Podere Bellaria, 232

I-53024 Montalcino (SI = Siena), Italy

Tel+39 0577.848574 | Website www.aziendabellaria.it