The history

The Padelletti family is one of the oldest of the old town of Montalcino. Down the generations they were physicians, lawyers, judges and University professors and often because of their work or because of political defeats, they had to live in other towns, but a member of the family always remained in Montalcino to take care of the land the family owned. The bond with their land is strong and has remained unbroken. They always took an active part in the political life of the town. For many centuries there was a feud between the Papacy and the German Holy Roman Emperors about the ownership of Tuscany.

As the Padelletti family sided with the Emperors, in the 13th century the head of the family had to take refuge in Germany at the court of the Staufers and those who remained had, for a long time, to keep very quiet. But, in the year 1529, when Montalcino fought the Spaniards for independence, a certain Giovanni Padelletti came back to take part in the defense. As he was an architect, he was given responsibility for the defense of a part of the town walls and two gates (which still belong to the descendands of the family).

However in the year 1559, the Spaniards defeated the King of France and, by the treaty of Chateau Cambresis, Montalcino was given to the Spaniards, who ceded it to the Medici. Again the Padelletti family had to lie low and much of their property was confiscated. Nevertheless, by the year 1572 the Padelletti family was again listed among the owners of vineyards, olive groves and tillable land who were paying a tithe to the Hospital of Montalcino. Since then, the name Padelletti vineyards and wine have gone together. Already by the 16th century, Montalcino was famed for the specialties "Moscadelletto di Montalcino" and "Vinsanto".

The bulk of the red wine production was made following the same systems as Chianti: that is using several types of red and white grapes together. The primary reason for this was that having vineyards with grapes maturing in different periods, the dangers from late frosts and hail were reduced. Another reason was that the "Sangiovese" grape did yield a very good wine but only after some years of ageing. The addition of white grapes enabled the production of a drinkable wine after only a few months. The landowners were forced by the prevailing poverty to turn their crops into money as soon as possible. The markets were also limited by the lack of roads suitable for horse-and ox-drawn carts.

Over the centuries, however, because of the climate and soil, it was noticed that the Sangiovese grape had changed and could produce a wine that differed from that obtained from the same type of grape in other parts of the country. However, it still remained imperative to age the wine for several years to achieve the best flavour and taste, and, yet this ageing process itself poses another problem. Normally the wine casks were made of chestnut wood, abundant in the region, but this wood contains a lot of tannin which, in the long run, gave the wine a disagreeable taste. To avoid this drawback, the wood from a special oak, that did not grow in the region, had to be used. And it was costly. And the resulting expense limited the possible sales. So, this wine, special wine, was made only for the landowners themselves and some of their friends. It was noted that, when correctly aged, one of the characters of this special wine was that it took on a reddish-brown colour instead of the ruby red of Chianti - hence the name "Brunello" (Browny). This wine was of no commercial interest. So, it did exist, but in very limited quantities, and was never sold (marketed).