The winery FORNACINA is situated oust outside the town of Montalcino, surrounded by its vineyards the Biliorsi family produce the Brunello di Montalcino, in order to the tradition, giving free space to a passion that passes on for generations.
Ruggero Biliorsi is the founder of an activitywhere the first bottle of Brunello goes back to year 1981, now the activity is run by his son Simon with the collaboration from his brother Mauro, maintaining the same values of the grounds where their activity rise.
With the consultancy of our winemaker Attilio Pagli and our agronomist Folco Giovanni Bencini, we are caring out a small but ambitious project looking to produce a Brunello as the tradition commands, and also to protect the environment that surrounds the winery.
The winery has in 2004 recieved the certificate of Biological Grown Grapes (controlled by ICEA Cod. Prod. B 1295) a testimony of quality, and respect for this territory, and for the nature are the true priorities.
The wincellar built in two levels (one seven meters under ground) is thought and realized to introduce the right amount of moderness in the production, allowing us to carry out all the productive work, starting from the winemaking, the ageing and the bottling to a separate room for our working relations, winetasting and direct sale.
The big barrells are the absolut protagonist when we age our Brunello.
The surface of the vines are 5 Ha, where 3 Ha are situated around the winery at an altitude of 400 meters a.s.l. on the south, south - east side of the hills of Montalcino.
The other 2 Ha are on the south side of Montalcino, in Castelnuovo dell' Abate.
The ground structure goes from an alkaline PH medium mixture to galestro. The production system density is about 4,500 plants per hectar, and we use the "rammed cord" raising system.
Continuous presence in the vineyards, careful selection of the grapes before and during the harvest, the characters of the grapes coming from two different hillsides, these are our ingredients for a production of unquestioned excellent wines.
THE PRODUCTION:
We only market what we obtain from our own vineyards with a medium production of between 20.000 - 25.000 bottles a year, subdivided from Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Riserva (only in the excellent years), and Rosso di Montalcino DOC.
The marc obtained after the fermentation, are made into our Grappa di Brunello.
MONTALCINO
Montalcino is a small town located ca 40 km. faraway from Siena, over the hill of 600 mt. in height. Its territory, delimited by the rivers Ombrone, Asso and Orcia, extends to a surface area of more than 24.000 hectares.
The 50% of this territory is covered by wood; the remaining area is principally cultivated by vineyards, olive trees and cereals.
The name Montalcino, from Latin "Mons Ilcinus" i.e. ilex mountain, derives its origin from the holms in the thick woods by which the hills around were covered in the past.
The town grounded at the beginning of the Xth. century by the refugees coming from the town Roselle, maintains still intact its own town planning structure going back to the Middle Age, period of its maximal brightness and strong extension.
The tormented vicissitudes and the defensive needs gave to Montalcino a characteristic aspect. The Fortress, the churches, the steep small ways alternated by stairs, the small lanes the Municipal Building with its agile tower take you back in the time to a distant and very fascinating epoch.
Today Montalcino is a small architectural jewel set in a rare beauty landscape's that was kept uncontaminated by the non industrial development. Principal wealth is: agriculture, in particular viticulture, production and sell of Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino, oil, honey and recently the development of tourism.