Franco Biondi Santi

[1] Franco Biondi Santi was born in Montalcino in 1922, and died in 2013, survived by his wife Maria Floria, their children Jacopo and Alessandra, and four grandchildren.

[3] He remained at the helm of the family firm, Tenuta Il Greppo, until his death, overseeing every aspect of the vineyards and the winemaking.

[4] In July 1971 Burton Anderson, a young journalist for the International Herald Tribune, went to visit Franco Biondi Santi at Tenuta Il Greppo in Montalcino after being inspired by his Brunello Riserva 1964.

[5] During World War II, Franco helped his father wall up the family’s old Riservas just before the Front passed through the area in 1944.

[7] In 1990 he led a campaign to successfully block a massive landfill planned for the outskirts of Montalcino that would have put Brunello production at risk.