Banfi makes this in Montalcino, in southern Tuscany, and gives it a name that means "the hill of stones" — a nod to the stony ground the estate's vineyards sit on. Col di Sasso is a Super Tuscan in the original sense: Sangiovese, the grape behind Chianti and Brunello, blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, a pairing that became Tuscany's signature move in the 1970s and never left.
- Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese, roughly half and half.
- Toscana IGT, the flexible appellation for Tuscan blends.
- 2020, a warm vintage across central Italy.
- 13% alcohol, medium body, medium tannin.
How it is made
Toscana IGT is the category Tuscany invented for wines that break the DOC rules on purpose. A Chianti or a Brunello must be Sangiovese, mostly or entirely. An IGT has no such obligation, so a producer can put Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, ageing it in a way the stricter appellations would not allow. Col di Sasso is a straightforward version of that idea, built for drinking young rather than for the cellar.
How it tastes
Black cherry and plum lead, with dried herbs and a tobacco note underneath, the kind of savoury edge Sangiovese brings to any blend. Tannins are smooth rather than firm and the acidity sits at medium, so the fruit stays in front. Dry, medium-bodied, and on the softer side for a Tuscan red.
Good to know
Sangiovese is Italy's most planted grape, and its name is thought to come from sanguis Jovis, the blood of Jupiter. It is also a grape that shifts character with the ground under it, which is why it tastes of herbs and earth in some places and pure cherry in others.
Contains alcohol.
