Gianni Brunelli was from an old Montalcino family. He dedicated his life to upholding the local traditions of great food, wine and hospitality. He became famous for all of the above at his legendary restaurant Osteria Le Logge in Siena "where customers are treated like friends and friends like gods". In 1988 he re-established his family's grape growing tradition at Le Chiuse de Sotto, a 2 ha vineyard below the hill town of Montalcino. An additional 4.5 ha vineyard named "Podernovone" has since been purchased south of Montalcino.

Sadly Gianni Brunelli passed away passed away in 2008, but his wife Laura carries on. She is a great character in her own right, big-hearted, and full of generosity and warmth. It is not surprising that the Gianni Brunelli wines are as outgoing and incredibly charming as the individuals behind them.

Interestingly the fruit produced at Le Chiuse de Sotto and Podernovone is influence by two distinctly different microclimates. At Le Chiuse, which is just north of the Montalcino town site, the climate is cooler and the vineyard yields beautiful structured fruit that contributes fragrance and freshness. Podernovone is located a few kilometers south of Montalcino. This vineyard provides riper, more mature grapes that still maintain a great deal of freshness, derived from the calcareous-marl and schist soilsand the altitude of 350 m. The blending of these components results in complex wines that are wonderfully generous, but also beautifully elegant and capable of considerable aging. Stylistically they have more in common with classic Burgundy or Barolo, which is to say that they are wines of plush texture and classic structure.