Northampton Wines

Some of the world’s great wines can be a bit hard to find. Some of the world’s most famous producers have variations in style and quality that vex the consumer. Castello Banfi however, is the master of high quality and perfect reliability. They do this with an astounding range of premium wines. Best of all, all of Banfi’s products, even the most rare, reach our market with regularity.

The Banfi estate is itself a wonder. Centered on a bona fide castle of great beauty and impressive size, are over 7,000 acres of estate property. About 2,500 acres are “under vines” and much of the remaining land is graced with venerable old olive trees. The Mariani family created Castello Banfi and did so in just over 20 years. They acquired property in the DOCG (guaranteed place name) region of Brunello di Montalcino, one of Italy’s most favored appellations. With much of the land unplanted, they were free to employ the latest in vineyard technology. They planted a preponderance of Sangiovese, the required grape of Tuscany’s most famous traditional wines. However, they also planted lesser amounts of non-traditional grapes such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah (among others). A modern winery was equipped with the latest in temperature-controlled equipment for handling grapes, juice, and wine. The caves were stocked with traditional large oak ovals, just as have been used for many generations to age traditional Brunello and other great reds of Tuscany. Additionally, a large supply of small oak cooperage, such as is traditional in Bordeaux, were acquired for the aging of “Super-Tuscans” and other “new-age” premium wines. In short, Banfi was equipped to make the finest of wines, ancient and modern.

The fame of the estate has spread mostly on account of its Brunello. Year after year Banfi makes one of the top wines of this very prestigious category. The 1999, now available at about $60, is again a huge success. While hardly an inexpensive pleasure, this wine is a bargain among the ranks of ultra-premium red wines.

“New Age” reds from Banfi are led by the latest release of “Cum Laude”, the 2001 is a blend of traditional Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. A deep colored powerhouse, this wine melds traditional Tuscan elegance with modern, heavily extracted, red wine body. This wine is delicious now, rich, robust, and full-bodied, but with its classic structure, it should age well, yielding velvety, mellow richness with time. Banfi has released wine of this style, under various names, since the mid-1980s and it seems no one has ever tasted one that was too old. At about $37 Cum Laude seems a bargain. In the Greenville area, it is still possible to find 1998 and 1999 vintages of “Summus” and “Excelsus” on the shelves. These are even bigger versions of the same style. Expect to pay $60 to $70 for these.

Banfi has wine for everyday as well. In fact, no other premium winery has such an array of great inexpensive wine. The leader of the pack is “Centine”, an incredible red wine bargain made from Sangiovese, Cabernet, and Merlot. For just a bit over $10, Centine has been pleasing palates for years, vintage after vintage. A bit heavier than the traditional carafe wine so casually served all over Tuscany, this wine will grace a picnic or stand up to heavier fare. Centine, is joined by an assortment of generic and varietal wines, red and white, selling for between $8 and $20, any of which is likely to astound for style and quality.

It would be sad not to mention that Banfi produces and ships wines from other regions as well, most notably, the Italian Piedmont. The Banfi winery at Strevi yields traditional Brachetto d’Acqui (the delightful sparkling red dessert wine), and just about the finest sparkling Brut made outside of Champagne.

Mind you, this is not the whole story. Ask your retailer about Banfi, and take a look at their excellent web site, www.castellobanfi.com .