Year of the Dragon Brunello Wine Release

10th February 2024 marks the start of the Chinese New Year and this year is the prosperous Year of the Dragon, representing authority, prosperity, justice and good luck. People born in the Year of the Dragon, are, it is said, characterised as charismatic, confident, intelligent, powerful, naturally lucky and gifted. They have exacting standards and do everything to the best of their ability. This makes entire sense, since this writer happens to be a Dragon!

See Sphere’s selection of the top luxury gifts Lunar New Year 2024 including Castiglion del Bosco's Year of the Dragon Brunello Wine.

Chinese Year of the Dragon Wine Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2017

Hence I was delighted to be invited in late 2023 to the stunning venue of Two Temple Place in London by the premium Brunello wine producer, Castiglion del Bosco, to attend a preview of the next release of its iconic Zodiac series. This is the Year of the Dragon Wine Brunello di Montalcino 2017. Castiglion del Bosco’s  Zodiac series launched in 2013. The concept is a limited edition Brunello di Montalcino featuring an artistic interpretation as an ode to the symbol of the Chinese Zodiac on its label, commissioned from a renowned international artist

Launched in 2013, only 11 vintages have been produced to date. The wine is produced in minute quantities using the best grapes from the estate’s vineyards. Only 888 bottles are produced for the entire world, 8 being the lucky Chinese number, so the wine has become a collector’s item. Within the Zodiac portfolio, the Year of the Dragon Cuvee holds an extra special place as it echoes the name of the first single vineyard on the estate, Campo del Drago.

At the London launch Castiglion del Bosco’s winemaker Cecilia Leoneschi explained that the  2017 vintage in Montalcino was characterised by a  hot and dry summer followed by rains in September, which thankfully slowed the ripening of the grapes. This mitigated the risk of over-ripening or high phenolic development. The harvest began earlier than usual and the quality of the grapes allowed for a prolonged maceration. The result is a full-bodied elegant wine, ripe in fruit, with notes of spices, liquorice and rhubarb. Leoneschi predicted that the wine will age for a long, long time.

The Artist Behind The Year of the Dragon Brunello Wine

Castiglion del Bosco’s CEO Simone Pallesi referred to the Zodiac wine as a “meeting of art and culture with the winemaker”. He gave me a whistlestop tour of the 10 previous labels, the artworks all on display at Two Temple Place, each with their different interpretations of the zodiac symbol of the respective year.

The artist commissioned to interpret the Year of the Dragon cuvee is Alicia France, a London-based artist, who has taken inspiration from traditional Oriental art, the miniaturists of the 16th and 17th century and of course traditional Chinese dragons. Castiglion del Bosco worked with art consultant and archive specialist Tamsin Evernden to select the artist. In fact France is a specialist in portraiture and how the use of colour can evoke emotion and personality. The result is an evocative label, which uses a vibrant palette of colours and incorporates oak, beech and vine leaves from the landscape of the estate.

Castiglion del Bosco at Harrods in Exclusive Wine Cabinet

Since the Zodiac Collection is a series, being able to appreciate the latest release in the context of preceding years is important. Last year Castiglion del Bosco formed a partnership with Harrods to display the entire Zodiac Collection in a special-edition cabinet. This is the only location outside the estate where the entire collection is available and the Dragon release, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2017, is on its way. You can snap it up at about £2,000 bottle. 

For further information: https://www.castigliondelbosco.com/

UK Trade Enquiries: Maisons Marques et Domaines: https://www.mmdltd.com/