Castiglione del Bosco is one sexy vineyard. Set in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, owned by Massimo Ferragamo (yes, as in that Ferragamo) and part of the prestigious Rosewood hotel group, if you ever had to describe how a Tuscan vineyard should look, you’d probably be describing Castiglione del Bosco.

But luxury credentials aside, Castiglione del Bosco is first and foremost a winery and a jolly good one at that. Located in the northwest of Montalcino, the winery is one of the oldest in Tuscany, although one of the least commercial. In fact, despite its very rich winemaking history, it only started producing wines in the 1950s. The estate also became one of the founding fathers of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino - the governing body that regulates and controls the quality of Brunello production - in 1967. An enormous 2,000-hectares in total, “just” 62 of these are given over to (organically farmed) vineyards, planted exclusively with Sangiovese. Blending is overseen by cellar master extraordinaire Nicolo D’Afflitto and locally trained oenologist Cecilia Leoneschi. Under their careful direction, Castiglione del Bosco has begun to attract critical attention that far belies its seductive credentials; it has become a winery worth reckoning with.

With so many hectares of vineyard, Castiglione del Bosco unsurprisingly produce quite a few wines: namely four reds and one white, and their San Michele. Concentrating here on the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Monatalcino - a five-star wine from James Suckling (and only the seventh five star since 1990), he called the 2012 “precise and beautiful” for a stunning 96 points. Surprisingly good value for money, this could be a welcome addition to any wine inverstor’s portfolio. The limited edition 2010 Zodiac Monkey has held its price at a steady €500 or so per bottle, but collectors and investors take note: this is an incredibly hard bottle to find, so if you can find one, the scarcity is bound to reflect the wine’s secondary market retail value.