Rosso Toscana "IL Blu" IGT
฿฿฿
From our sommelier team
Il Blu is Brancaia's Super Tuscan blend drawn from vineyards in the Chianti communes of Castellina in Chianti and Radda in Chianti. Its composition has shifted markedly over the decades: 2001-2012 vintages were 50% Sangiovese, 45% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; 2013-2017 moved to 70% Merlot, 25% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; and 2018-2022 vintages are 80% Merlot with 10% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are aged in French barriques, two-thirds new and one-third used, for 18 to 20 months depending on vintage, while the Sangiovese portion has been aged separately in larger tonneaux. The 2018 and 2019 vintages add three months in uncoated concrete tanks, plus a minimum of 12 months in bottle.
Producer history
Bruno and Brigitte Widmer, a Swiss couple, bought the Brancaia estate at Castellina in Chianti in 1981 after first visiting the hill in 1980, taking on a renovated house and 20 hectares of land. Their first Chianti Classico was the 1983 vintage, which won a blind tasting run by the Swiss magazine VINUM in 1986. In 1989 they bought a ruined property at Radda in Chianti and built their own winery there. Daughter Barbara Widmer joined her first harvest in 1993, studied oenology at Wädenswil from 1995, and now directs winemaking.
Signature pairings
- Bistecca alla fiorentina — The Sangiovese component's acidity cuts the fat of a thick char-grilled steak while the Merlot-dominant body matches its weight.
- Pappardelle with wild boar ragù — A long-simmered game ragù mirrors the wine's oak-derived savoury notes and its softer Merlot-led texture.
- Duck breast with black cherry sauce — Dark stone fruit in the sauce picks up the Merlot's plummy core, and the duck's richness balances the tannin from two-thirds new barriques.
Il Blu was born from a deliberate rule-break: Brancaia, founded in 1981 by Swiss couple Bruno and Brigitte Widmer, refused to bottle estate wines separately and instead blended fruit from its two Tuscan properties — Radda in Chianti and the coastal Maremma — to build a wine neither terroir could produce alone.
Radda's high-altitude galestro and alberese soils (500 m+) deliver taut acidity and aromatic lift to the Sangiovese component, while Maremma's clay-rich, iron-laden coastal soils contribute the darker-fruited density of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon — a structural counterweight that softens the mountain austerity.
The blend is fermented and then aged in French oak barriques, a regime that integrates the cross-estate fruit over an extended élevage. Sangiovese anchors the blend, with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon completing the assemblage in proportions that shift with each vintage.
What sets Il Blu apart categorically is its IGT status chosen over DOCG — a deliberate commercial and creative freedom that allows the Maremma component and the non-Sangiovese varieties to enter the blend without regulatory constraint.
The wine rewards 2–3 years of cellaring from release and holds comfortably for a decade in good vintages.
Details
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Tuscany
- Subregion
- Rosso di Montalcino
- Variety
- 70% Merlot, 25% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2020 **
- Bottle size
- 750 ml
** Vintage may change — please confirm with our team before ordering.
Taste profile
- Body
- Medium-Full
- Acidity
- Medium
- Tannin
- Medium-High
Pairs well with
- Grilled red meat & steak
- Tomato-based pasta
- Mushroom & truffle dishes
- Braised & slow-cooked meat
- Lamb dishes
Sommelier’s pick: Bistecca alla Fiorentina with rosemary-salted crust · Aged Pecorino di Pienza with truffle honey · Braised short rib with gremolata
Interested? Talk to us
Message us to check item availability and information.
Community rating
Loading reviews…
