Corte dei Venti is an estate winery in Località Piancornello in Sant’Angelo, in the south of the Montalcino region of Tuscany. Owner Clara Monaci’s website describes this area as being ‘in the red lands, the hinterland between Sant’Angelo Scalo [the low part of Sant’Angelo] and Castelnuovo dell’Abate.’ She says the name “Corte dei Venti” derives from the particular confluence of the winds (‘venti’ in Italian, plural of ‘vento’) blowing constantly in this area. The air movement they create is said to reduce disease pressure.

Owner: Clara Monaci (born in 1966). Her brother is Claudio (see below).

Background: The Pieri family bought the Piancornello farm in 1943. In 1990 Alessandro Pieri divided his Piancornello estate among his three children. Alessandro Pieri’s first daughter Agostina created her own eponymous estate, Agostina Pieri. Alessandro Pieri’s second daughter, Silvana, created Piancornello di Pieri Silvana. In 2011 Silvana Pieri’s Piancornello estate was itself sub-divided into two: Piancornello di Monaci Claudio now called Piancornello, Podere del Visciolo, and Quattroventi di Clara Monaci, subsequently renamed Corte dei Venti di Clara Monaci because the Quattroventi (‘four winds’) name had already been taken by an estate in Chianti. After Alessandro Pieri’s third daughter Graziella Pieri married Sirò Pacenti her Piancornello vines were amalgamated into the Sirò Pacenti estate.

Staff: Maurizio Saetinni consults (vineyards only).

Vineyards: At the 2015 Anteprima Clara Monaci said she had 15ha of vines. Of this, there were 5ha of vines, 2ha of olives, 4ha of land for sowable crops (‘seminativo‘) and 3ha of woodland. Altitude of 300-400 metres.The vineyards are characterized by hilly terrain with steep more or less steep slopes, rich in ferrous limestone clay, fresh and well-endowed with minerals and are influenced by winds from the sea which guarantee prolonged and optimal ripening of the grapes.

Winery: The cellar is at controlled temperature and humidification and is divided into 2 distinct areas: one for vinification with steel tanks and the other for ageing, with tonneaux, barriques and 25 hl wooden barrels in which the Brunello di Montalcino red wines mature.

Olive trees: 3 hectares: Olivastra, Correggiolo and Moraiolo.

Red wines

Sant’Antimo Rosso, Poggio dei Lecci: 2012 3,500 bottles. Cab Sauv, Sangiovese, Merlot, Syrah. Clear style, modernist with levity (Anteprima 2014).

Rosso di Montalcino DOC: 2012 5,500 bottles. Bit green on the nose, better palate (Anteprima 2014). | 2013 Fluffy red fruit at Anteprima Feb 2015.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG: 2009 Dense and fairly ripe (Anteprima 2014). | 2009 CorteDeiVenti, Quattroventi 14.5%. L03/2013. Bright cedar garnet. Green notes on the nose. Fishy. Sweet and sour palate and rather thin too. Grubby end. Not my style at the Consorzio Tues 27th May 2014 with Ian d’Agata and others. | 2010 Bit reduced and a bit green and hot (Anteprima Brunello 2015).

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Riserva, Quattroventi: 2006 Bottled.

Contact

Corte dei Venti Soc Agr di Monaci Clara & C. S.S,

Loc. Piancornello, 35

Sant’Angelo Scalo, I-53024 Montalcino (SI), Italy

Tel+39 0577 844035 | Website: www.cortedeiventi.it

GPS coordinates: 42.975536,11.477693