Rodolfo Cosimi’s irony

Montalcino is full of interesting people who had colorful backgrounds before they began producing Brunello and among these is Rodolfo Cosimi, Rudy for his friends. Rudy is a ‘racer’ who was a European motorcycle hill climb champion first and later, in his ‘old age’, had success in rally racing. And his ‘racer’ mentality is as strong now as it was then.

The Poggiolo estate was started in 1971 by Rudy’s father Roberto who died quite young leaving Rudy and his brother Renzo to carry in what he had started. A few years ago the brother parted ways with Rodolfo hanging on to the brand name with which he was always identified. The brand has received important recognitions, above all abroad but also in Italy, thanks to Rudy’s particular approach to innovation and research and respect for paternal traditions as well as those of Montalcino.

The estate has for a long time produced three types of Brunello, each an expression of the particular area the grapes grew in. Brunello Poggiolo is extremely traditional and is fermented and ages in wood. Beato, which usually comes out a year after Poggiolo, has a different fermentation with shorter maceration and more attention paid to controlling temperature during fermentation and barrels of different sizes and made from different woods are also used. Terra Rosa (Red Earth) is made from a particular parcel in a vineyard that is rich in iron and magnesium, hence the name. This is a non-orthodox wine that optimizes research to bring out its potential.

Recently, Rudy has been experimenting with new ways to use Sangiovese and the idea of making a sparkling wine came after a poor harvest when the grapes did not fully ripen. Rather than try and make a poor Brunello he decided to make something different. Thus began his Le Mie Bollecine (My Bubbly) project which involved the wine sitting on the lees for 18 months. Rudy was not satisfied with the result and decided to have future versions remain up to 36 months on the lees in order to allow the wine to obtain greater complexity. It will then go on the market with the Brunello of the same vintage.

Another alternative project and one that is ‘covertly’ polemic involves the estate’s two new wines: Bionasega and Bionasega da Corsa (Bionasega meaning more or less ‘organic my ass’). Rudy developed these wines after becoming put off by the way the organic winemaking had become more of a commercial rather than a life choice. And so he came up with two conventional wines that have met with success. All things considered the Italian wine world could use a little more normality like this to offset the fads. Irreverent to the extreme, Rudy does not indicate what grapes are used to make Bionasega and lists them only with the initial C.M, which does not refer to any variety but stands for ‘cavoli miei’ or my business. In an ironic way he seems to be saying with these wines that: if you like it, you’ll buy it. If you don’t, you won’t.

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