The Padelletti family is one of the oldest of the old town of Montalcino. Down the generations they were physicians, lawyers, judges and University professors and often because of their work or because of political defeats, they had to live in other towns, but a member of the family always remained in Montalcino to take care of the land the family owned. The bond with their land is strong and has remained unbroken. They always took an active part in the political life of the town. For many centuries there was a feud between the Papacy and the German Holy Roman Emperors about the ownership of Tuscany. As the Padelletti family sided with the Emperors, in the 13th century the head of the family had to take refuge in Germany at the court of the Staufers and those who remained had, for a long time, to keep very quiet. But, in the year 1529, when Montalcino fought the Spaniards for independence, a certain Giovanni Padelletti came back to take part in the defense. As he was an architect, he was given responsibility for the defense of a part of the town walls and two gates (which still belong to the descendands of the family). However in the year 1559, the Spaniards defeated the King of France and, by the treaty of Chateau Cambresis, Montalcino was given to the Spaniards, who ceded it to the Medici. Again the Padelletti family had to lie low and much of their property was confiscated. Nevertheless, by the year 1572 the Padelletti family was again listed among the owners of vineyards, olive groves and tillable land who were paying a tithe to the Hospital of Montalcino. Since then, the name Padelletti vineyards and wine have gone together. Already by the 16th century, Montalcino was famed for the specialties "Moscadelletto di Montalcino" and "Vinsanto". The bulk of the red wine production was made following the same systems as Chianti: that is using several types of red and white grapes together. The primary reason for this was that having vineyards with grapes maturing in different periods, the dangers from late frosts and hail were reduced. Another reason was that the "Sangiovese" grape did yield a very good wine but only after some years of ageing. The addition of white grapes enabled the production of a drinkable wine after only a few months. The landowners were forced by the prevailing poverty to turn their crops into money as soon as possible. The markets were also limited by the lack of roads suitable for horse-and ox-drawn carts. Over the centuries, however, because of the climate and soil, it was noticed that the Sangiovese grape had changed and could produce a wine that differed from that obtained from the same type of grape in other parts of the country. However, it still remained imperative to age the wine for several years to achieve the best flavour and taste, and, yet this ageing process itself poses another problem. Normally the wine casks were made of chestnut wood, abundant in the region, but this wood contains a lot of tannin which, in the long run, gave the wine a disagreeable taste. To avoid this drawback, the wood from a special oak, that did not grow in the region, had to be used. And it was costly. And the resulting expense limited the possible sales. So, this wine, special wine, was made only for the landowners themselves and some of their friends. It was noted that, when correctly aged, one of the characters of this special wine was that it took on a reddish-brown colour instead of the ruby red of Chianti - hence the name "Brunello" (Browny). This wine was of no commercial interest. So, it did exist, but in very limited quantities, and was never sold (marketed). For a couple of centuries the Padelletti family prospered producing magistrates, bishops, many notaries and doctors. The 19th century was not kind to the main branch of the family. Antonio was killed in a riding accident; his son, Pierfrancesco, after having held one of the highest positions in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, died suddenly while still young. Of Pierfrancesco’s sons; Guido, who was a professor at the universities of Pavia, Bologna and Rome, died before he was 35 of wounds he suffered when fighting with Garibaldi for the independence of Italy; Dino, who was a professor at Naples university, died equally young, of the plague. There remained Professor Domenico, Pierfrancesco’s brother, who was Rector of Pisa University and Carlo Augusto, Guido’s son, who was still an infant. Professor Domenico Padelletti retired to Montalcino to take care of the family patrimony and assist his young great-nephew. Professor Domenico made many improvements. He planted new vineyards and olive groves and bought more land. So, by the time Carlo Augusto reached 21, he inherited a large estate of well-kept land from his great-uncle. Carlo Augusto intensely pursued a wide variety of activities. Besides obtaining no less than four doctorates from various universities, he was a diplomat, a judge, a lawyer and a physician. He was also an industrialist creating many new industries in a region that had none and which seemed to aspire to nothing beyond agriculture. The population of Montalcino was poor with high unemployment, and whose only source of power was human or animal. By-passing steam power completely, Carlo Padelletti chose, instead, to back the newly discovered electrical power generated by that new source of energy, the internal combustion engine. As fuel, he used the gases generated by the burning of waste from the timber industry. All this was before the end of the 19th century. In fact, by 1899 Carlo Augusto Padelletti had created a good electricity supply. As a first step, he lit the town of Montalcino with electricity when Rome and Florence were still illuminated by gas. Then, using his abundant financial resources, he started setting up industries that would increase the profitability of Montalcino’s agricultural production. A lot of wheat and cereals were produced, but it was only in winter, when the streams were full enough to drive the water-wheels, that wheat flour could be ground in the mills. So, he built an electrically-powered flour mill in Montalcino, and an olive press and a saw mill. When he needed more bricks, he built a brick furnace. He developed an industry to utilize forestry by-products. Then he started a large printing and book-binding industry and, finally, a movie theatre! During this time, Carlo Augusto Padelletti had also modernized agriculture. He introduced iron ploughs, internal combustion tractors and harvesting machines. In the meantime, the creation of the railway network somewhat improved the opportunities for the export of Montalcino’s agricultural produce even though Montalcino’s hill-top position did reduce this benefit to some extent. Carlo Augusto Padelletti also did much to improve the wines of Montalcino, presenting wine and olive oil at many Italian exhibitions and also winning prizes abroad from London to Geneva. He opened a sales office in Geneva to optimize the distribution of Montalcino wines. Like other far-sighted landowners, he continued to produce Brunello but always in small quantities. The vineyards were still a mixture of grape varieties and the Brunello grapes were gathered before the main harvest. It had been noted that the alluvial soils at the foot of the Montalcino hill produced the best Brunello, strong but agreeable. The wine from the south slopes was too strong and from the higher slopes, too light. Therefore, the landowners on these particularly favoured locations (the Biondi at "La Chiusa" estate; the Padelletti at "Paradisi" and "Rigaccini"; the Anghirelli at "Il Cigaleto") produced the best Brunellos but never viewed it as a commercially viable enterprise. It was true that Brunello could be aged for longer than most other wines but, because of its high price in comparison with better known wines and because of the general level of poverty, making Brunello on a large scale was not a winning proposition. Another factor was the dwindling production of grapes following the destruction of the vineyards by phylloxera together with the rumors of war and later, the war itself which discouraged the owners from planting new vineyards, In 1925, Carlo Augusto Padelletti, unable to cope with all his initiatives because of his age, had, with some other landowners, founded a "Cantina Sociale" and its management was entrusted to Dr. Tancredi Biondi. Just before the Second World War this winery had to be dissolved because of the lack of grapes. After the war there were almost no vineyards left in Montalcino. Some courageous landowners then started replanting, but only Brunello grapes. The economic situation improved rapidly and the "Italian Miracle" took place. There was money for both investment and consumption. New and improved vineyards were planted and new cellars with new oak casks were made. Demand was met by increased production, but far beyond the boundaries always considered most suitable for Brunello. Dr. Avv. Carlo Augusto Padelletti, by now over 80, entrusted the management of his land to his son, Guido, who continue d with the planting of a vineyard in the original location where the best Brunello had been produced, years before. After the division of the paternal estate with his brothers, he was left with the "Rigaccini" estate. He has 6 hectares of beautiful vineyards but, because of his professional commitments abroad, he limits himself to the production of splendid Brunello grapes, using only one fifth of the best of these to make an average of 8.000 bottles a year and selling the remainder to other Brunello producers. His cellar is under the family house in Via Padelletti, on the city walls where so many generations of his family have lived. Guido Padelletti still thinks that quantity is the enemy of quality and tries to maintain the high standards set by his own ancestors.Il vitigno predominante era il “Sangioveto” o Sangiovese, come oggi è chiamato, dalle cui uve di solito si produce un vino sgarbato se lo si vuole bere subito; in passato, l’aggiunta di uva bianca, e di altri vitigni doveva servire a dargli rapidamente la beva. Ma il “Sangiovese” a Montalcino, sia per il fatto che con il passare dei secoli, per l’influenza del clima e del suolo si era modificato, sia per l’invecchiamento al quale incominciavano ad essere sottoposti i vini da esso derivati, dava un risultato diverso e con caratteristiche fisico chimiche ed organolettiche particolari. Una di queste era il colore rosso bruno che assumeva, da qui il nome “Brunello” che era frutto del prolungato invecchiamento. Un altro fattore di diversità era l’affinamento in fusti di rovere della Slavonia. Nel panorama enologico regionale il vino era solitamente tenuto in fusti di legno di castagno, abbondante localmente, mentre il rovere di Slavonia doveva essere importato a caro prezzo, date le difficoltà ed i costi dei trasporti. La misura, seppur costosa, era necessaria in quanto a causa dell’alto contenuto in tannino del legno di castagno, la troppa permanenza in questo tipo di botti poteva dare al vino un sapore sgradevole. Quindi il “Brunello” veniva ad avere alti costi di produzione, sia per il lungo immobilizzo di capitale che per la spesa dei fusti di slavonia. Inoltre il mercato restava limitato anche dalla difficoltà e dal costo del trasporto. La novità della bottiglia bordolese poi, più pesante e non troppo economica, unita alla difficoltà di avere sugheri buoni e sicuri, facevano preferire il fiasco o la damigiana, nessuno dei due modelli di imbottigliamento molto indicato per vini a lungo invecchiamento. Quindi il “Brunello” era un vino prodotto come rarità e specialità locale limitata al consumo famigliare e per gli amici. La diminuzione del costo dei trasporti ottenuta grazie alla realizzazione delle prime ferrovie, dopo l’unità d’Italia, non determinò un cambiamento nella composizione dei vigneti ma si assistette ad un aumento della produzione di vino “Brunello”, fatto con uve scelte. Alcuni proprietari terrieri furono gli iniziatori di questo fenomeno perché avevano dei vigneti in luoghi particolarmente adatti a dare un vino robusto ma gentile, posti principalmente nei terreni alluvionali ai piedi della collina di Montalcino, sul lato nord-est. Qui avevano vigne i Padelletti con i poderi “Paradisi” e “Rigaccini”; gli Anghirelli con il “Cigaleto”, i Biondi con il podere “La Chiusa”. Tuttavia sino alla fine degli anni ‘5o la produzione del vino “Brunello” rimase limitata a pochi appassionati viticoltori in quantità limitate e senza vasta diffusione. Nel panorama generale, la fillossera aveva distrutto la maggior parte dei vigneti e la forzata incuria degli anni di guerra fece il resto. Dopo la seconda guerra mondiale si ricomincia a piantare vigneti principalmente od esclusivamente con vitigni di “Brunello”. Ma di questo parleremo poi. Nella Famiglia Padelletti, due delle recenti generazioni furono falciate da morti precoci. Pierfrancesco Padelletti, uno dei comandanti del Granduca di Toscana, suo figlio Guido, professore di Diritto alla Università di Roma che era stato ferito nel 1866 combattendo con Garibaldi, l’altro figlio Dino professore all’Università di Napoli, morto di peste, tra gli esempi più tristi. Rimase il fratello di Pierfrancesco, il Professor Domenico, Rettore dell’Università di Pisa, ed il piccolo Carlo Augusto, figlio di Guido. Il Professor Domenico Padelletti decise di stabilirsi di nuovo a Montalcino per curare i beni di famiglia. Piantò nuovi vigneti ed oliveti e fece molte migliorie,vinse molti premi alle varie esposizioni e trasmise al nipote Carlo Augusto un magnifico patrimonio. Carlo Augusto Padelletti fu uomo di molteplici interessi e di incredibile attività. Certamente fu in anticipo sui suoi tempi. Diplomatico, giudice, avvocato, industriale, medico, aveva trovato il tempo di prendere quattro lauree! Per alleviare le condizioni di miseria e la disoccupazione della popolazione di Montalcino seguita alle varie vicende belliche, Carlo Augusto Padelletti volle creare delle industrie. Sino ad allora a Montalcino l’unica energia era quella umana ed animale, se si eccettuano i molini a gora che lavoravano d’inverno sui fossi. Carlo Augusto ritenne l’energia a vapore già sorpassata e puntò sull’energia elettrica e per questo creò una centrale di questo tipo a Montalcino, azionata, assoluta novità per quei tempi, con un motore a scoppio a gas povero, che trasformava attraverso un gasometro gli scarti del taglio dei boschi. Così Montalcino ebbe l’elettricità per l’illuminazione pubblica prima di Roma e di Firenze. Il geniale Carlo Augusto Padelletti costruì e mise in funzione un molino elettrico, un frantoio elettrico, una segheria ed una tipografia elettriche, una rilegatoria di libri, e perfino industrie per l’utilizzo della radica di erica, abbondante nei boschi. Nel frattempo non trascurava l’agricultura, introducendo i primi aratri in ferro ed i primi trattori. La vitivinicultura non fu trascurata portò i vini di Montalcino all’estero e vinse premi da Londra a Ginevra ed infine apri un negozio per la vendita dei suoi vini nella stessa città elvetica. Tutta questa frenetica attività divenne eccessiva per lui, e nel 1925 assieme ad altri proprietari terrieri fondò una cantina sociale ed un oleificio sociale. Il Dr. Tancredi Biondi ne divenne il Direttore. Come già accennato, la fillossera distruggendo i vigneti pose fine alla Cantina Sociale, l’Oleificio durò un poco più a lungo. Il Dr. Carlo Augusto Padelletti muore nel 1957. Comunque dopo la fine della guerra, il figlio Guido aveva preso in mano l’amministrazione dei beni paterni ed aveva cominciato a ripiantare vigneti esclusivamente di Brunello. Dopo la spartizione dei beni paterni, continua a piantare e coltivare vigneti nel podere “Rigaccini”. Data la sua intensa attività professionale, in gran parte all’estero, Guido Padelletti sceglie la via della qualità. Con sei ettari di vigneto Brunello, utilizza solo un quinto della sua produzione di uva, scegliendo quella migliore per produrre circa 8000 bottiglie di un vino riservato agli intenditori. La sua cantina continua ad essere sotto la casa di via Padelletti dove tante generazioni di Padelletti hanno vissuto, sopra le mura della città che Giovanni Padelletti difese a suo tempo.