Last updated on November 14th, 2024
If you are considering visiting the Siro Pacenti Montalcino winery, you may be wondering what to expect from experience on this Montalcino wine tour.
I was lucky enough to have visited Siro Pacenti Winery in a private tour, including an intimate tasting of their most prestigious wines, giving me first-hand knowledge and expertise on what an experience might look like for you at Siro Pacenti.
In this article, I will guide you through my experience, how the wines were made, what kind of wines they offer and what to expect. After reading this article, I guarantee there will be no doubt that you are just as excited about Siro Pacenti as I am!
Thank you to Siro Pacenti Winery for generously offering me the tour and wine tasting. This is not a sponsored article – just an honest review of my experience.
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How To Pronounce Siro Pacenti
Siro Pacenti is pronounced see-roh pah-chehn-tee in Italian.
Listen to the pronunciation of Siro Pacenti here:
Where Is Siro Pacenti Winery?
Siro Pacenti Winery is located just North of the city center of Montalcino, about 15 minutes away.
How To Book With Siro Pacenti
The best way to contact the Siro Pacenti winery is through email at info@siropacenti.it. Barbara Torriti, was the wonderful woman who walked me through the entire process, including the winery tour and tasting.
Why Visit Siro Pacenti
Siro Pacenti is a small Montalcino winery offering intimate and curated experiences for small groups. Here are my top reasons to visit Siro Pacenti Montalcino Winery on your next visit to Southern Tuscany:
- Intimate, private tours of the winery and estate
- Private tastings with three exclusive red wines
- Tailored experiences
- Children welcome
- Close to Montalcino city center
- Sweeping views of Southern Tuscany with Montalcino in backdrop
- Luxury wines and experience
- Family-run
- Easy to get to and pair with Montalcino activities
- Great half day activity to plan with other day trips such as San Quirico d’Orcia, Montepulciano, Bagno Vignoni or Pienza.
Who Is Siro Pacenti Best For?
I suggest a visit to the Siro Pacenti Montalcino winery for travelers who have a bit of experience with wine or who are looking for a more curated and intimate experience. Siro Pacenti is not set up to host large groups and cater to commercial tourism.
Note: Siro Pacenti wine isn’t cheap because of their small yearly production, high quality and investment in practicing sustainable winemaking.
They offer unique tours and tastings with the opportunity to purchase their wines that you may not be able to find once you are at home or in other Italian wine shops.
Although Siro Pacenti exports 82% percent of their wine, only 35% goes to the USA. This is a wine to purchase as a nice gift or souvenir, as it won’t be available for commercial purchase at main street liquor or wine shops.
Check out more of my favorite food souvenirs from Tuscany.
Wine Lover? Be sure to read Where to Drink Wine in Italy and Where to Buy Wine in Italy!
How To Get To Siro Pacenti Winery
To arrive at Siro Pacenti, you need to have a rental car. Follow SP14 and Strada Provinciale del Brunello to Località Mercatali where you can follow signs for Siro Pacenti.
Good To Know: The road to Siro Pacenti is a dirt road but it’s well maintained and clear of all brush. There are a few bumps but don’t be concerned about your rental car being damaged or scratched.
Parking At Siro Pacenti
Once you arrive at the estate, pull up to the large closed doors and the gate will open. If it doesn’t, you can call or ring the bell. Continue up until you reach the office, where you will find plenty of space to park. The office is not the gated villa but the independent rectangle building with a lawn overlooking the vineyards and the village of Montalcino.
Wines At Siro Pacenti Winery
Siro Pacenti makes three wines for sale. These are what you can expect to try at your tasting.
Quick Look: Learn more about the specifics of Montalcino wines.
Rosso di Montalcino DOC
The Rosso di Montalcino is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes aged for one year in French oak barrels and then in the bottle for at least another year. This wine is not nearly as complex as the Brunello di Montalcino.
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Pelagrilli
Pelagrilli was introduced in 2006 to the Siro Pacenti wine collection by Giancarlo, his son. It’s made from 100% Sangiovese blend of their grapes from the Northern plot (70%) and their Southern plot (30%), resulting in a very balanced wine with fresh and elegant structure. The wine is aged for two years in French oak barrels and then for another three in bottles before going on the market.
Good To Know: Because Siro Pacenti practices sustainable agriculture, natural sediments naturally build up in the wine. The winery recommends that all their wine be decanted before drinking.
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG VECCHIE VIGNE
This Brunello from Siro Pacenti is made primarily from grapes grown on the Northern plot of Siro Pacenti from 25-30 year old vineyards. This 100% Sangiovese red wine is even more complex and structured then their other two wines.
Fact: Siro Pacenti makes riserva vintages of their Brunello, depending on the year. Should Giancarlo come to the conclusion that a particular year’s harvest would make a good riserva, he will make about 2,000 bottles of riserva for that collection.
Siro Pacenti Estate And Winery Tour
When you book a wine tour at Siro Pacenti, expect to be coddled! Barbara, Giancarlo’s right-hand woman, will take you through every step of the winemaking process, physically taking you through every space and room where each step is carried out.
You will start at the main office where Barbara will give you family history and talk about the general philosophy of the winery. You will then move onto the vineyards and where they make the selection of the grapes.
Barbara will then take you inside to finish the tour and go over the fermentation, aging, bottling and distribution process.
Siro Pacenti Wine Tasting
After your extensive tour, which may take up to an hour depending on how many questions you have, you will be seated in their tasting room where you will try all three wines. Here is where you will learn the specifics of each and how best to enjoy them.
Fit In: Learn How to Toast in Italian!
History Of Siro Pacenti
Siro Pacenti was founded in 1970 by Siro Pacenti with the help of his wife, Graziella. Not long after, their son Giancarlo left his studies of mathematics to join his father at the winery.
It’s at this point, that we see an acute change in the company: one that is dedicated to traditional methods of Tuscan wine production with the addition of technological advances.
Giancarlo studied winemaking in Bordeaux, France, giving him the know-how and expertise needed to apply new technology to the company, ultimately improving the quality of their wines.
What sets Siro Pacenti apart is Giancarlo’s ability to analyze each individual plot on the estate. This mathematical approach to winemaking gives the winery a unique touch and one-of-a-kind advantage over competing wineries.
The wines at Siro Pacenti are hand blended using what Giancarlo has learned and knows from that year in terms of weather, conditions, vine age, scientific composition, etc.
Today, Giancarlo can be found working hands-on side-by-side with his employees in the fields and within the winery, making sure he is involved in every aspect and step of his wine production. I can tell you from personal experience this is not always the case!
How Siro Pacenti Wine Is Made
The Vineyards
Siro Pacenti wine is blended from two main plots, which are further divided into 19 small lots, ultimately giving the most control over the care and harvest of each grape vine. The North and South plots are about 25 km away, each with a different microclimate.
Giancarlo uses the knowledge he has of these two different climates and the effects it has on his vineyards to help analyze his yearly production.
Because the earth changes so dramatically, even from one foot to the next, dividing the estate this way makes it possible to have the most control over the entire growing of the grape, from the initial planting of the vine to the final harvest each year.
The Grape Harvest (The Vendemmia)
All of the grapes are harvested by hand at Siro Pacenti, allowing for a larger control over the grape selection and ultimately, the final wines.
Each individual grape is then passed through a sophisticated machine that is able to analyise each grape at a structural level. The grapes are divided into two groups: those without defects and those with.
Those with defects are separated and made into a table wine that is sold locally while the remaining grapes are used to make Siro Pacenti’s three red wines.
The Fermentation
The fermentation then takes place downstairs in large Inox cone-shaped containers, lending a better and more concentrated extraction.
The Aging
The final aging process is done in small French Oak barrels and blended by Giancarlo himself based on his know-how, in-depth knowledge of each plot.
Fact: The wine barrels are changed every four years, more or less at Siro Pacenti.
Bottling
After years of aging, the wine is put in large cement containers and stabilized before being transferred back into the steel containers and bottled.
Fact: The Siro Pacenti wine is not labeled until a specific order is made, allowing the company to add any relative specifications to each label.
Distribution and Selling
Siro Pacenti wine is then sold and distributed year-round in accordance with specific orders. Because they only make around 60,000 bottles per year, you won’t find Siro Pacenti wines at most wine stores abroad.
If you would like to purchase wine from Siro Pacenti, do so directly from them at the end of your visit.
Travelers Tip: If you can’t visit the winery, consider heading into the Montalcino village and touring the city center and eating at one of Montalcino’s restaurants or enoteche.
Winery Recommendations: Unsure of where to go wine tasting in Montalcino? Read:
My Visit to Conti Costanti Winery
My Visit to Siro Pacenti Winery
My Visit to Valdipiatta Winery
Top Wineries to Visit in Montalcino
Siro Pacenti Winery FAQ
At the time of writing, a tour and tasting costs €25 per person, with an ideal number of 6 in your party but with a maximum of 8.
Siro Pacenti is characterized by their division of vineyards into two major areas of Montalcino (North and South), each of which have a different and unique climate. These two lots are further divided into 19 lots, allowing Giancarlo to work hands on with every variation and difference within the vineyards.
Yes, of course. Siro Pacenti can work with you on larger orders that you can have shipped to your home abroad.
Barbara speaks French, English, Italian and some Dutch.
A riserva wine is considered the finest of all the wines and is upheld to strict bottling regulations in terms of aging. A riserva must age in wooden barrels for two years and then in a bottle for a minimum of four years before it can be sold.
