Montalcino has changed a great deal since the early and mid-1980’s, a period which, in retrospect, and compared to the hustle and bustle of today, seems almost one of bucolic quiet. The acreage under vine was notably smaller, the number of producers (compared to the two hundred of the current moment) only a fraction of those now on the market, the hordes of visitors nowhere in sight, and the number of wine shops and fine food shops - virtually one every second address – would have been inconceivable to the denizens of decades ago. Montalcino, in short, has gone through an unimaginable boom, but certain things have remained constant. 

One is the presence, and in a highly visible positions, of certain key houses, many owned by a resident population whose roots which go back many generations. This nucleus was not always involved in wine – those with small properties and, often, an established profession, had no interest at the time - a period in which bottles did not fetch anything close to the prices of today – to involve themselves in work which promised only limited rewards and compensation.

And here enter into the picture Giulio and Mirella Salvioni: an establsihed Montalcino family, both professionals in other sectors, owners of a small piece of land but anything but prospective vintners. But the decision to take the plunge came with the 1985, the results, aided by a brilliant young consulting winemaker, Attilio Pagli, were startlingly excellent, and the 1987 was even better, one of the great wines produced in Montalcino over the past quarter century. Obviously there was no looking back, and quality has certainly never been minimally compromised in the search for greater production: the bottles are what they are, first come, first serve. And Salvioni has become an essential names not merely in Tuscany, but also in the overall Italian picture as well.