Frescobaldi's Montalcino entry: 100% Sangiovese from the Tenuta CastelGiocondo estate, fermented in steel and aged in oak. Red cherry, raspberry and violet with a bergamot lift, smooth tannins and the bright acidity Rosso di Montalcino is loved for.
A drinker consensus across nearly 10,400 Vivino ratings, read against Frescobaldi's own CastelGiocondo notes: red cherry and raspberry fruit, a floral violet top note and the bergamot lift the estate calls out, framed by oak-derived tobacco and leather.
Frescobaldi's CastelGiocondo notes lead with floral rose and violet over red and black berries, finishing on a distinctive bergamot citrus lift. Vivino drinkers echo the red-fruited core, cherry and raspberry, with oak-derived tobacco and vanilla and a savoury hint of leather as the wine opens. A peppery, lightly spiced edge runs through it.
Bergamot
Violet
Blackberry
Cherry
Raspberry
Tobacco
Leather
Black pepperMedium-bodied and balanced, with the fresh vein of acidity that defines Montalcino Sangiovese and the smooth, fine-grained tannins the estate builds through gentle punching down rather than heavy extraction. Around a year in oak adds a tobacco-and-spice frame without burying the red cherry fruit. The 2024 drinks fresh and floral; the warm, dry 2022 is a touch rounder and riper.
The finish is long for the price, leaving floral and red-fruit echoes with a gentle citrus snap rather than oak weight.
Across nearly 10,400 Vivino ratings this sits at a solid 3.6 out of 5: a dependable, food-friendly Rosso that drinkers reach for as an everyday Sangiovese rather than a cellar wine. It is Frescobaldi's accessible introduction to Montalcino, best drunk young while the fruit is bright.
Two vintages are listed below. UK prices run from about 20 to 29 pounds, just under the roughly 22 pound median for Rosso di Montalcino, so this is one of the more accessible ways into the appellation.
The scores below weigh Campo ai Sassi as a food wine, a value buy and an everyday Sangiovese against Rosso di Montalcino as a category. It rates as a versatile, beginner-friendly red rather than a cellar or occasion bottle.
Medium tannin and the bright acidity of Montalcino Sangiovese make it a flexible match for tomato sauces, grilled meats and pecorino.
A classic, approachable indigenous Sangiovese at a mid price with smooth tannins; an easy first step into Montalcino.
A sub-25-pound, fresh and food-friendly red for midweek Italian plates; the inverse of its low cellar score.
Lowest UK listing 19.90 pounds against a Rosso di Montalcino median near 22 pounds (ratio 0.90): modestly below category, fair rather than a bargain.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Rosso di Montalcino denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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Rosso di Montalcino is an early-drinking wine, and Campo ai Sassi is built that way. The fresh, balanced 2024 contrasts with the warm, dry 2022 that ripened a touch rounder; both reward drinking young.
A fresh, balanced Montalcino growing season per Frescobaldi: a mild winter, a cool wet spring and a summer of sun broken by rain, with wide day-night swings at ripening. The result is a fragrant, lightly structured Campo ai Sassi for early drinking.
2022 was a hot, dry vintage in Montalcino, with drought and an early harvest before September rain and cooler nights restored balance. Expect a rounder, riper Campo ai Sassi than the cooler 2024, still in a forward, early-drinking style.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Campo ai Sassi comes from Frescobaldi's Tenuta CastelGiocondo, one of Montalcino's larger historic estates. As a Rosso di Montalcino DOC it is 100% Sangiovese, released younger than the estate's Brunello but from the same Montalcino hills.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Rosso di Montalcino is in the DOC tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Rosso di Montalcino falls within Tuscany , covering Tuscany.
Estate-grown Montalcino Sangiovese, from the same commune as Frescobaldi's Brunello, costs more to farm than negoce Tuscan reds and sets a floor under the roughly 20 pound price.
Released after about a year rather than Brunello's mandatory five, it ties up far less cellar time and capital, which is why it lands near 20 pounds against 40-plus for the estate's Brunello.
The Sangiovese matures in oak for roughly a year before bottle ageing, per the producer, adding barrel and cellar cost that a tank-only wine avoids.
A widely distributed, recognised Montalcino producer commands a small brand premium; Campo ai Sassi still undercuts the Rosso di Montalcino median of about 22 pounds.
UK alcohol duty on a still wine at 13% vol is 2.67 pounds a bottle, with 20% VAT on top, together a large share of a roughly 20 pound shelf price before retailer margin.
Several UK retailers list the current vintage, the cheapest at 19.90 pounds, and that competition keeps the street price below the appellation median.
Dishes that complement this wine
The bright acidity and medium tannin of Montalcino Sangiovese make Campo ai Sassi a natural with tomato-led pasta and pizza, grilled bistecca, and aged pecorino. The reasons below map each match to a structural feature of the wine.
Sangiovese's bright acidity mirrors the acidity in tomato sauce instead of fighting it, keeping ragu, margherita and pappa al pomodoro fresh rather than flat.
Try with: Lasagna · Pizza Margherita · Pappa al Pomodoro · Spaghetti alla chitarra · More pairings →
Fresh acidity and medium, fine-grained tannin cut through the fat and char of grilled beef and roast pork, refreshing the palate between bites.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Porchetta · Brasato al Barolo · More pairings →
The wine's acidity and gentle tannin balance the salt and fat of mature sheep's-milk cheese, a natural Tuscan pairing for Sangiovese.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · More pairings →
Floral violet and the wine's peppery, spiced edge bridge the rosemary and fennel of porchetta and the slow-cooked depth of meat ragu.
Try with: Porchetta · Lasagna · Cotoletta alla bolognese · More pairings →
Light-to-medium body and forward red-cherry fruit make it an easy midweek red for medium-weight pasta and thin-crust pizza without overpowering them.
Try with: Pizza Romana · Spaghetti alla chitarra · Lasagna · More pairings →
High acidity and tannin amplify chilli heat and turn against sweet, sticky glazes, which flatten the wine's red fruit. Keep it away from fiery or sugar-laced dishes.
Skip with: vindaloo · sweet-and-sour pork · sticky BBQ ribs · spicy Sichuan · Pairing guide →
This is a Rosso, not a Brunello: Frescobaldi makes it in a slender, lightly tannic style for early pleasure. Expect the best drinking inside roughly five years of the harvest rather than long-term cellaring.
Peak around 2027. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Rosso di Montalcino with light, delicate tannins and about 12 months in oak; built for early drinking, not long ageing.
£19.90 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 15:39 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumIt is 100% Sangiovese, grown on the Tenuta CastelGiocondo estate in Montalcino. Campo ai Sassi is Frescobaldi's Rosso di Montalcino, the younger, earlier-drinking sibling of their CastelGiocondo Brunello.
Expect bright red cherry and raspberry, floral violet and a citrus lift of bergamot, with a gentle spicy edge. The palate is balanced and medium-bodied, with smooth tannins and the fresh acidity typical of Montalcino Sangiovese.
The Sangiovese ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel with regular punching down, then matures in oak barrels for around 12 months before further time in bottle ahead of release. The result is a slender, elegant style rather than a heavily oaked one.
Its acidity and medium tannin suit tomato-led pasta and pizza, grilled Tuscan meats like bistecca alla fiorentina, herb-roasted porchetta, and aged pecorino. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees C.
It is built for early drinking. Most vintages are at their best within about five years of the harvest; the current release drinks well now and over the next two to three years.
UK listings for the current vintages run from roughly 20 to 29 pounds a bottle, which sits just under the typical Rosso di Montalcino price. Compare the live retailer prices above before you buy.
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