http://www.ilpalazzone.com Brunello and olive oil vineyard in Montalcino, Italy Wed, 23 May 2012 21:24:45 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en ilpalazzone/tRifhttp://feedburner.google.com From Learn Italian Wines, by Tom Hyland: IL PALAZZONE A small estate owned by American businessman, Richard Parsons. The winemaking here focuses on a traditional style, as there is nice balance of fruit, oak and acidity with refined tannins.… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/were-in-good-company-on-tom-hylands-list-of-best-brunello-producers/ While in Montalcino last week, my visit was fortunate enough to coincide with our newest bottling of Rosso del Palazzone, our vino rosso.  Not only is this is a fun wine to drink, as it blends both horizontally across… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/from-barrel-to-bottle/ ]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/poppies-at-il-palazzone/ Wine bottles are supplied on shrink-wrapped pallets that are guaranteed for hygiene by the glassworks. Each pallet contains between 2000 and 2700 bottles and can only be purchased whole. As a result it is always impossible to buy the exact number of bottles… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/green-green-glass-red-red-wine/ The first buds have appeared, signalling the start of the vine’s annual growth cycle. In Italian they are called gemme, which also means jewels. The next stage is known locally as sfarfallamento from the word for butterfly since the first… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/and-theyre-off/ Collectively, it can do a lot, which is why I am very proud to announce our membership in 1% For the Planet.  By becoming members, we have joined a rapidly growing network of businesses that share a strong commitment… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/what-can-1-do/ Spring seems to be with us and all traces of February’s snow are long gone. Timid crocus or zafferano are peeping out of the grass and wild asparagus are in season, just waiting to be hunted down by Marco. Mimosa… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/hello-march-in-montalcino/ This morning I invested 80 Euro in new technology for Il Palazzone. No more hand-writing vintages on our cartons… from now on we will be ink-stamping!   ]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/the-end-of-an-era/ In the next week or so we will be cementing our time capsule into the foundations of the new cellar to confuse, perplex and ultimately disappoint some far-off generation of alien archaeologists.   What will they make of our peculiar offerings?… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/the-time-capsule/ ]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/february-snow-in-montalcino/ It’s no secret that a Siberian cold spell has Europe in its icy grasp. Montalcino’s mayor closed the school on Wednesday and every day since then, conveyed by a flurry of midnight text messages from mother to mother. There’s no… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/ever-seen-a-cypress-do-the-splits/ 2012 is already an exciting year for Il Palazzone. The cellar is nearly finished and we have two new members in our team. Let me introduce these two SuperTuscans: Gianni Petricci, or Osso as he is known, has fifteen years… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/benvenuti-osso-jacopo/ Today we are bottling 2007 Brunello and 2006 Riserva…. The variety of noises that a bottling line emits is an astounding collection of clinks and clanks, juddering rattles and hisses. Although the insertion of the cork is automated, the… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/bottling-brunello/ Bottle-shock is the inevitable trauma that wine experiences when it is transferred to a new environment from a familiar one. In our case a wine ready for bottling goes first from wood to stainless steel. There we blend our… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/news/what-is-bottle-shock/ The days are crisp and clear, with startling blue skies and beautiful sunsets. We have been working the soil around the vines so that any and all winter rains will be fully absorbed by the land. These water reserves may prove… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/la-potatura-soffice/ BB will be from 24-27 February next year. This is an unique opportunity to see many of Montalcino’s two hundred plus producers standing cheek to jowl in their Sunday best in a tent or a cloister. It is also a… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/benvenuto-brunello-2012-dates-24-27-feb/ 2011 was a funny old year – there’s no two ways about it. It’s mid-November now and while the nights are bitterly cold, around midday, temperatures could still pass for summer in some countries. In the wake of the… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/annata-duemilaundici/   We’re thrilled to announce that the 2004 Riserva has just been named as one of Wine & Spirits Magazine’s 100 Best Wines of the Year in its Winter 2011 issue, and is tied for Best Brunello! According to Wine &… Read the rest]]> http://www.ilpalazzone.com/il-palazzone-2/best-wine-of-the-year-by-wine-spirits/