Owner
Jacopo Biondi Santi
Proprietor, Biondi-Santi Tenuta il Greppo & Castello di Montepò
- Discipline
- Owner
- Based in
- Montalcino, Italy
Known for
- Creator of Sassoalloro wine at Castello di Montepò (1991 vintage)
- Expansion of family vineyards to 220 hectares at Montepò with Sangiovese and international varietals
- Continuation of Brunello di Montalcino legacy at Tenuta Greppo
i. Biography
"This was the first time I did it alone." In a cellar context, the sentence marks a practical threshold: the point where inherited standards stop being abstract and become decisions made without cover. At Castello di Montepò, in Maremma Toscana, in the province of Grosseto north of Scansano, Jacopo Biondi Santi works as co-winemaker alongside his son Tancredi Biondi Santi, with Sangiovese, oak, time, and restraint as the operating materials. Tuscan estate work depends on more than address. At Castello di Montepò, family memory, vineyard management, and cellar judgment sit in the same chain of responsibility. For Jacopo, legacy is not a decorative claim; it is a working condition, measured in what is planted, what is held back, what is aged, and what is released.
Formation
Stewardship at Il Greppo / Biondi-Santi Montalcino estate in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy placed Jacopo Biondi Santi inside one of Tuscany’s defining wine references early in his career, where he worked as head of the family winery from 2013. The role carried the weight of a family name already fixed in the region’s viticultural record. Estate ownership at Castello di Montepò has been Jacopo Biondi Santi’s work since 1996. The move from Il Greppo / Biondi-Santi Montalcino estate to Maremma Toscana is best read through practice rather than narrative: a different site, a different set of conditions, and the same requirement to make Sangiovese speak through disciplined farming and cellar choices. In the province of Grosseto north of Scansano, the work is continuity under altered terrain.
The Work Today
Sassoalloro is an IGT wine made from 100% Sangiovese and named after a legend-laden gigantic volcanic rock in the area. The naming ties the bottling to a local marker before any technical reading begins: site, rock, and memory carried into the label without changing the wine’s central material. The élevage for Sassoalloro is specific: 14 months in French oak barrels. The result is described as intensely ruby-colored, with soft, velvety tannins. Within the facts given, the craft point is clear: Sangiovese is being handled through oak and time toward polish without abandoning varietal identity. Sassoalloro Oro is a small-production, single-vineyard expression of Sassoalloro. Where Sassoalloro presents the estate’s broader 100% Sangiovese work, Sassoalloro Oro tightens the frame to one vineyard and a smaller scale of production.
Signature
Signature bottlings include Sassoalloro, Schidione, and Sassoalloro Oro.
Distinctions
"But he also sent a great vintage that could bring satisfaction." In wine trade language, that kind of sentence points to alignment: vintage condition, judgment, and release all meeting at a level that satisfies the receiver. For Jacopo Biondi Santi, the recognition sits inside the continuing work at Castello di Montepò rather than outside it: family continuity, estate responsibility, and the practical handling of a vintage.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Jacopo
What is Jacopo Biondi Santi's present role?
Jacopo Biondi Santi is owner-winemaker of Biondi-Santi Tenuta Greppo.
Where did Jacopo Biondi Santi work before?
Earlier in their career, Jacopo Biondi Santi worked at Il Greppo / Biondi-Santi Montalcino estate.
What is Jacopo Biondi Santi known for?
At Castello di Montepò, he pursued wines that broke from the family’s oenological tradition and were more aligned with market demands, supported by climatization studies matching grapes and rootstocks to site conditions.
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