J.G. Benda Rosso di Montalcino 2023

Pure Sangiovese Grosso harvested at full phenolic ripeness, harvested by hand, destemmed grapes, spontaneous fermentation, without embellishments or filtrations: a pure expression to represent at its best and in the most honest way possible the fruit of these lands.

Importer note

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. 

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. Monica Larner: The Wine Advocate, November 2024