Hi fellow travelers, can you recommend your top three vineyard/wineries to visit in Montalcino? We'll be driving from Orvieto to Montepulciano, and would like to make an afternoon stop-over in Mantalcino to experience Brunello varietals. We'll have a vehicle and are looking for unique/beautiful/never-to-be-replicated-elsewhere wineries. Thank you!
My favorite is Ventolaio about 3km outside of Montalcino on a gravel road. Stupendous wines and last time we bought from them, accessible pricing. (Far more affordable than the wines we drank in Walla Walla last week.) Family operation.
Our favorite was Banfi but cannot remember how far it is from Montalcino. ( we stayed at an agriturisimo there). Closer to Montalcino was Barbi which was also a great place to have dinner.
Visited two Brunello wineries when I took a tour with Roberto (who has appeared in Rick's episodes). One was Nostra Vita and the other was Tornesi. Both are small family wineries with small production of Brunello and both require appointments.