As a family-owned vineyard estate and winery in the Brunello region of Tuscany, Castello Banfi's dedication to excellence in the art of winemaking has been recognized by wine aficionados the world over. Capturing honor after prestigious honor, the American-owned estate was declared "International Winery of the Year" for an unprecedented fourth year at the 2000 VinItaly Wine Competition. The winery has also been named Italy's best wine estate every year since 1994.
Though savoring these achievements as she would a glass of her finest vintage, family proprietor Cristina Mariani is hardly resting on her laurels. In the continual pursuit of superior quality ingrained in her by her father, Castello Banfi founder John F. Mariani, she works constantly to improve upon every detail, from winemaking and packaging to the estate's renowned hospitality.
Castello Banfi's origins trace to the 1950's when John Mariani began dreaming about expanding the trade's horizons. Fortune smiled years later, thanks to the success of Banfi's role as a wine merchant. John and his brother, Harry, established Castello Banfi in 1978, with a vision to depart from conventional winemaking rules and craft products that would appeal to modern consumer tastes while continuing to satisfy the lofty demands of the connoisseur. Working with the world's leading enologists in one of the most evocative regions for quality wine production, they assembled a contiguous estate of 2,830 hectares (7,100 acres), selecting ideal sites within to plant a constellation of single vineyards covering more than 800 hectares (2.400 acres). Today, wines flow from their Tuscan cellars to over 50 countries around the world.
The starting point for Castello Banfi was the undeniable concept that the quality of the wines is determined first and foremost in the vineyard. Plantings began only after months of soil preparation that would give the vines greater access to the sun's rays and proper drainage. To further ensure success, six artificial lakes were built to supply the estate's irrigation system.
If the vineyards are the soul of the estate, then the winery is its very heart. It combines state-of-the-art equipment with traditional aging cellars lined with casks of Slavonian oak and barriques of French and American oak.
Signature wines of the Castello Banfi estate, in addition to the single-vineyard Poggio all'Oro Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, are two proprietary cuvées, SummuS and ExcelsuS. Several noble varietals, including Tavernelle Cabernet Sauvignon, Fontanelle Chardonnay and San Angelo Pinot Grigio, are produced there as well as traditional wines of the region, such as Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino.
Overlooking the vineyards is the estate's medieval showpiece, a Romanesque fortress now known as Castello Banfi. Meticulously restored as a hospitality center, it boasts a formal restaurant, an enoteca and a glass museum.
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Castello Banfi website.
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White Wine
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Sparkling Wine & Champagne
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Kosher
Wine which is produced and bottled under strict supervision and meets all standards to be certified Kosher.
Organic
Wine which is produced using organic practices and is free of all synthetic chemicals, antibiotics, hormones and pesticides.
Biodynamic
Biodynamic designation is regulated by Demeter, an international certification organization. Biodynamic agriculture is based on the view of a farm as a self-contained organism. Certified organic vineyards must meet Demeter"s additional criteria for a period of one year before earning the designation "biodynamic."
Sustainably Grown
Sustainable practices incorporate organic standards and may exceed them and include ecologically and socially sound business practices such as fair pay for farm workers and energy conservation.
Screw Cap
Wines sealed with a screw cap as opposed to a cork, which experts report protects and preserves wine more effectively than does a cork, while also eliminating the possibility of cork taint.
No Sulfites
All wines naturally contain some sulfites, however wines that contain less than 10 parts per million sulfites are not required to include "Contains Sulfites" on their labels.
Futures
Wines that are still in the barrel and have yet to be bottled. Futures offer the opportunity to invest in a wine before it arrives in our store.
Pre-arrivals
Like futures, pre-arrivals are wines that have not yet arrived on our shelves, however they may or may not be a new release. Pre-arrivals may already be bottled and en route to our store.
Wine Advocate
The Wine Advocate is a bimonthly wine publication featuring the consumer advice of wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. Initially titled The Baltimore-Washington Wine Advocate the first issue was published in 1978. Accepting no advertising, the newsletter publishes in excess of 7,500 reviews per year, utilizing Parker's rating system that employs a 50-100 point quality scale.
Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator is a lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertainment pieces. Each issue also includes from 400 to more than 1,000 wine reviews, which consist of wine ratings and tasting notes.
International Wine Cellar
Since 1997, the 100% subscriber-supported IWC has also been available in French and Japanese editions.
Wine Enthusiast
Wine Enthusiast Magazine is a lifestyle magazine covering wine, food, spirits, travel and entertaining topics. It was founded in 1988 by Adam and Sybil Strum and reaches 686,000 readers. Its wine ratings, conducted by reviewers in major wine-producing areas of the world, are considered an influential gauge for consumers and professionals in the wine industry.
Wine & Spirits
Wine and Spirits is America's practical guide to the straightforward, enlightened enjoyment of fine wine and and premium spirits. We have for 18 years served customers and marketers alike with a lively mix of wine reviews, features, profiles, food and wine pairings, new product introductions, travel pieces, history, opinion and wine business news.
Burghound
Burghound.com was the first of its kind to offer specialized, and more importantly, exhaustive coverage of a specific wine region. The first Issue was released in January of 2001 and there are now subscribers in more than 50 countries and nearly all 50 states. Allen Meadows spends over four months a year in Burgundy and visits more than 300 domaines during that time.
James Halliday
James is one of the world’s leading authorities on Australian wine, matching intelligent, honest reviews with unparalleled knowledge of, and passion for, the wine industry.
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
For thirty-five years, Connoisseurs’ Guide has been the authoritative voice of the California wine consumer. With readers in all fifty states and twenty foreign countries, the Guide is valued by wine lovers everywhere for its honesty and for it strong adherence to the principles of transparency, unbiased, hard-hitting opinions.
James Suckling
I rate wines using the 100-points scale. I have used this point system for close to 25 years. I still believe it is the simplest way to rate a wine, with its origins from grade school in the United States. A wine that I rate 90 points or more is outstanding (A), and worth buying. If I rate a wine 95 points or more (A+), it is a must buy.
View from the Cellar
View From the Cellar, an electronic wine newsletter published bi-monthly by John Gilman.
Wine Journal
Homepage for wine writer, Neal Martin's, "Diary of a Wine Writer".
Malt Advocate
Malt Advocate magazine is America's leading whisky magazine. It's the number one source for whisky information, education and entertainment for whisky enthusiasts.
