Back to Related Links A VISIT TO CASTELLO BANFI An American Giant in Montalcino from PASTA Magazine (July 2002) There's a lonely intersection a few miles outside Montalcino where you realize you've reached one of southern Tuscany's preeminent wine zones. It's an otherwise unremarkable stretch of road bordered by woods and a patch of olive trees, but the unmistakable clue is the two dozen brown road signs arranged in towering stacks. These are the vineyard markers, and they point the way to some of the area's 200 estates that produce the legendary Brunello di Montalcino. Astute observers will no doubt scratch their heads at this junction, for a close look reveals that the name "Banfi" appears twice in this signage, pointing in opposite directions, like the scarecrow in Oz. But it's no mistake. Instead, it's the first tip that this winery is something quite unique. Go either way, and you'll hit Castello Banfi's sprawling property, which rolls on and on for 7,100 acres, 2,400 of which are planted with vines. That's an astounding amount in this historic area, where most wineries have less than 100 acres. But even compared to the rest of the country, it's big. So big, in fact, that Castello Banfi is said to be the largest contiguous wine estate in Italy. It certainly seems that way as you drive along the gravel roads that dip and climb past meticulous vineyards. End to end, it takes about 25 minutes to cross the property. Along the way you'll pass one village, various small lakes used to water new vines, 37 stone farmhouses from the sharecropping days, and endless rows of sangiovese, pinot grigio, cabernet, merlot, syrah, chardonnay, and other well-tended vines. Then finally, rising majestically on a hill crest, is the turreted castle that is the heart of this whole affair: Castello Banfi, so old that its first documented owner fought in a battle mentioned in Dante's Inferno, and so popular that 40,000 visitors cross its stone portals every year. It's hard to believe this wine estate was created from scratch just 24 years ago. But given its ambitious scale, it seems almost inevitable that it was the brainchild of two Americans. The brothers Harry Mariani and John Mariani Jr. scooped up the tracts of land in 1978, then the castle in 1984, with the aim of creating something unprecedented. "When my father dreams, he dreams big," relates Cristina Mariani, the 30-year-old daughter of John Jr., who recently took over the reins of the Castello and global marketing of its products, while with her cousin, James Mariani, 35, now oversees the import business. "We have a saying in the wine business: How do you make a small fortune? You start with a large one." Indeed, the Mariani brothers inherited a pot of gold in the shape of Banfi Vintners, a wine import company their father founded in 1919. John Mariani Sr. was a New Yorker by birth, but his own father's untimely death forced the family to move in with relatives in Italy. From age nine to 19, John lived in Milan with an aunt, Teodolinda Banfi, who worked as head of household for the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, Achille Ratti, and later accompanied him to Rome when he became Pope Pius XI. This petite but authoritarian aunt was evidently lord and master of the kitchen and took it upon herself to select the Cardinal's fine wines. This made an impression on her young nephew, who decided to return to New York and go into the wine business after his stint in World War I. In honor of his aunt and mother, he named the company Banfi Vintners. Banfi hit paydirt in the 1970s and '80s when it introduced Lambrusco into the American market under the brand name Riunite. With its sweetish character and light fizz, the wine was an instant hit among Americans raised on soft drinks and fruit juices, and remains the second largest imported wine in America. (The first is a Chilean brand, Concha y Toro, which Banfi also handles, as well as Walnut Crest, the eighth on that list, making Banfi the only company with three brands among the top 10 wine imports.) The success of Banfi Vintners enabled Mariani's two sons to expand into wine production with the purchase of this Tuscan property, located within the borders of the DOCG zone for Brunello di Montalcino, a well-structured red wine with great prestige, history, and in the brothers' view, even greater potential. "I remember taking helicopter rides over the property when they were looking to purchase it," Christina Mariani recalls. "I was only seven, but I remember how beautiful and magnificent it was. But it was mostly virgin to vines. It was largely forests and wheat fields. There were a few vineyards surrounding the castle, but not much." Fortunately, John Mariani left the young tyke home when he went to inspect the castle together with Ezio Rivella, an old friend and one of Italy's top enologists who was hired as the estate's general manager. The castle was then in the hands of the widow Mastropaolo, whose husband's family had acquired it directly from the medieval warrior's descendents. "It was in decent shape, but those stone walls can be freezing," Cristina recalls. In fact, the Mastropaolos lived next door in one of the cozier farmhouses and used the castle only for entertaining. Mariani soon found out why. "My father always tells stories about that visit," Christina says. "He and Ezio spent the night in the castle, because there were no rooms in the private house. My dad woke up in the middle of the night; it was so cold he couldn't sleep. There was no heating, no plumbing. He went to wash his face, but the water basin was frozen solid. So he went to sit by the fire and sees Ezio doing the same thing, all wrapped up," she laughs. "The next day, the Signora Mastropaolo was very gracious and asked, 'Would you like to stay for another day? I have more to show you.' They both said, 'No, no! Thanks a lot, but we'll have our lawyers contact yours.' " Today, the castle couldn't be a more hospitable place. While Christina also chooses to live in an adjoining farmhouse during her bimonthly stays, there isn't a soul who wouldn't mind encamping in the castle today. The large stone halls have been turned into banquet rooms where wine tastings and elegant wedding celebrations take place. Downstairs is a fascinating museum of glass, which contains one of the best collections of Roman drinking vessels anywhere. This collection was started by John Jr., whose interest in collectibles and fine arts is evident throughout the castle, as well as in the 60-room Elizabethan-style mansion on Long Island, New York, where Banfi Vintners is headquartered. Both locations display the Etruscan vases dug up on the property during planting - precious traces of that peaceful and sophisticated civilization from the 6-7th century B.C. which first cultivated vines throughout Tuscany. You can learn more about the Etruscans when visiting the tasting room and wine shop, or Œenoteca', adjacent to the castle. Here you're greeted by a short video narrated by Christina, who outlines the links between Etruscan winemaking and methods in use today. Then if you venture past the wooden cabinets displaying Banfi's many wines, grappas, artisan pastas, local honey, and estate-made balsamic vinegar, you can finally belly-up to the wine bar. Here you have a choice of a dozen or so wines from the Banfi collection, ranging from a sparkling white Gavi from their property in Piedmont, to the powerful but accessible Brunello for which the estate is most famous. Or if you'd like to do as the Italians do and drink your wine with food, there are two restaurants just outside the castle. The Taverna Banfi has a menu based on regional Tuscan cuisine, with such items as gnocchi with caviar and chives, or an herb-encrusted rack of lamb (perfect with Banfi's ExcelsuS, a Super Tuscan blend of cabernet and merlot). A step more elegant is the newly opened Ristorante Banfi, which might offer quail on a bed of lentils, or risotto with radiccichio in a sauce of squab and black truffles. Some day, after wining and dining, visitors might be able to bed down on the estate in properly heated guest rooms. The Marianis hope to round out the hospitality picture this way, but for now any hotel accommodations must wait, as winemaking and attendant research still demand the family's full attention. Sitting in her office in the Long Island manor, Cristina shakes her head and laughs when she recalls how the locals received her father and uncle when they first arrived with their bulldozers, blueprints, and big ideas. "Were there skeptics? Yes! It was unbelievable. We were Americans. AndNew Yorkers. And we were referred to as the 'U.S. importers' known for Riunite." Traditions die hard in the Old World, and those in Montalcino date back a long way - to the time of Charlemagne, in fact, who in the 9th century founded an abbey just up the road. Documents from this period already speak of the superior quality of the wine from this area of Tuscany. Subsequently, wine remains interwoven with the history of this fortified hilltown. One popular tale recounts how during the Renaissance wars between Florence and Siena, wine played a part in the siege of 1553, when Montalcino was surrounded by Florentine forces and was being slowly starved to death. In an effort to boost morale, the garrison commander washed his face with some of their precious red wine to conceal his pallor and appear the picture of health. Brunello di Montalcino dates back to the mid-19th century, when the producer Biondi Santi broke ground by producing wines from pure sangiovese grown in single vineyards (picking up on the French idea of terroir) and designed them for long aging. The methods of this estate set the pattern for Brunello and have lasted well over a century. So when the American upstarts moved in, brimming with ideas about how to improve on tradition, the Italians looked on in dismay. Their tune soon changed, for the Marianis made some very astute moves. First was to initiate research in the vineyards, focusing on sangiovese. A pervasive grape in Tuscany, sangiovese has evolved over the centuries in various ways in the different microclimates throughout the region, resulting in over 650 natural hybrids or "clones" of this single grape variety. But no one had methodically researched which clones worked best in which soil, elevation, exposure, and so on. Similar research had already been done by the French in Bordeaux, and the Marianis brought in top consultants from France to advise them on planting noble French varieties like cabernet sauvignon and merlot. But for sangiovese, they had to figure it out for themselves. Working with the University of Milan, they began a long process of experimentation, and ultimately registered 45 clones in 1996. They've now whittled the field down to 15 clones which best represent the grape variety's inherent character, and are currently trying out various blends of these clones in their sangiovese-based wines. But Banfi's second move was just as smart: they shared their findings with fellow wine producers. That's what changed the tune of skeptics, and it has played a hand in revitalizing winemaking throughout the region. "My family's philosophy from the beginning was to get more people to appreciate wine," Cristina explains. "One producer alone can't accomplish that great task. You have to do that by helping raise the wine standards, particularly in Europe, where there's a lot of tradition. One way was to do the research ourselves. Then by sharing the results, we followed the philosophy that all ships rise with the incoming tide. I like to use the comparison that Castello Banfi is the full moon. We just helped make the tide come in." Montalcino has undoubtedly undergone a transformation since Banfi and other investors came to town. "Thirty years ago, Montalcino was the poorest town in southern Tuscany. Today it's one of the wealthiest - because of the influx of capital and spending in the wine area," says Cristina. A walk through its winding streets provides ample evidence, with cozy wine bars and well-stocked wine shops on every block, and tourists pouring into the enoteca that's now housed inside the medieval fortress. Proof is also in the pudding. Banfi wines have won so many awards their office shelves are overrun with plaques, goblets, and certificates. Most meaningful to the family are those from the Italians, like the International Winery of the Year award recently received for an unprecedented fourth time at the VinItaly expo in Verona, or the "Wine Estate of the Year" award won by ballot from the 16,000-member Association of Italian Sommeliers. "There are some of the best awards, because they're from the local Italians," says Cristina. "Which is amazing, because it shows that we're accepted within our neighborhood. And that means the most to us." Cristina is beaming, but not just from fond memories. She's seven months pregnant with her first child, which is due on her father's 70th birthday. Does she hope her child will follow in the family footsteps? "Of course. That's what you do everything for. That's why my father's working so hard today. He always says it's so that we can carry it on and have the wonderful, passionate, romantic life that he led. And it really is! Sure, it's business, but Italy is also pure romance, all around. It's a wonderful lifestyle. I've traveled to some of the most beautiful places, meet the best people, ate the best food, put on a lot of weight," she laughs. "It's something I'm so lucky to have inherited, and I hope to leave my children and second cousins with a stronger company than we inherited. You can only ask to give more than you took." Patricia Thomson is a regular contributor to PASTA and is president of La Dolce Vita Wine Tours. © 2002 Patricia Thomson