Thumb through some of the city’s biggest and best lists (EMP, or the freshly revamped Babbo, for example) and you’ll see a new addition popping up in the Tuscan section: Montalcino’s il Cocco.

Farming a mere three hectares at some of the appellation’s highest elevations, this small grower produces stirring renditions of Sangiovese Grosso. Powerful, with the lift and zest that high-elevation Brunello delivers, these are a deeply delicious new addition to our Italian shelf.

Montalcino’s highest elevations have a poetic name: Passo del Lume Spento. It translates to “pass of the extinguished lantern,” a historical warning to anyone traveling through at night (in other words: don’t). Today, it reads differently—signaling a rare sliver of freshness in a region best known for intense heat. This is where Il Cocco is situated, a stone’s throw from their equally talented neighbor, La Ragnaie.

High elevation Montalcino; photo via @podere_il_cocco

The small farm has been in the Bindi family since the 1700s, becoming a dedicated estate—with vines for family use—in the 1950s. Today, the property is run by Giacomo Bindi, who is fervently dedicated to organic farming.

Keeping the vineyard holdings to just 3 hectares (tiny by Montalcino standards) allows him to focus on the vitality of the soil and, ultimately, hand-harvested fruit. While everything within the zone is planted to Sangiovese, Bindi also has a small piece of land just south of Montalcino where he grows Malvasia Bianca and Trebbiano.

Giacomo Bindi; photo via Golden Vines

In the small cellar, Sangiovese—for both Rosso and Brunello, along with the tiny amounts of white wine—is natively fermented in tank until dry. The reds typically stay on the skins for about a month before moving into 500-liter French and Austrian oak tonneaux (nothing older than eight years; for the top wines, roughly 30% is one-year-old or new).

Where most wineries race to the aging minimums, Bindi’s Rosso ages like most Brunello, seeing close to three years in barrel. To soften the Rosso and add a touch of immediacy, he blends in 6% of the prior vintage held in tank—a savvy, delicious decision that makes a wine with Brunello’s spice and depth, while still feeling open and drinkable on release.

The Brunello itself sees a full three years in barrel (enough time to qualify as Riserva), followed by another year in bottle. That extended aging draws out the secondary notes and herbal complexity that only time can provide.

Alongside its high-elevation red fruit and citrus lift, it’s a great reminder of why Montalcino produces Tuscany’s most lauded wines.

NV Podere il Cocco Balù Vino Bianco, Tuscany, Italy $29
The sole white is a delicious, skin macerated wine from Malvasia Bianca and Trebbiano grown in volcanic soils just outside of Montalcino zone.

2021 Podere il Cocco Rosso di Montalcino DOCG Tuscany, Italy $47
100% Sangiovese Grosso, with 6% of the 2024 vintage blended in.

2020 Podere il Cocco Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Tuscany, Italy $75
100% Sangiovese Grosso that sees three years in 500L French, Slavonian and Austrian oak barrels, 30% new.

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