Discover the deep, rich wine; not too dry, but just right that only took 300 years

Brunello di Montalcino is the wine world's overnight sensation that only took 300 years.

Brunello is the grape, the "little brown one," a cousin of Sangiovese, Italy's top-planted grape.

Montalcino is Brunello's home, a walled Tuscan village located south of more-travelled cities Florence, Siena and their famous wine region - Chianti.

In Chianti, the wine's popularity and the region's traffic swelled vineyards to several subregions and 70,000 hectares, producing upward of 100 million bottles of its Sangiovese-based wine.

Montalcino fortified itself against military imbroglio and vineyard expansion; today 24,000 hectares located exclusively within village limits yield about nine million bottles of Brunello and five million bottles of its little brother, Rosso di Montalcino.

In the Middle Ages, Montalcino was recognized for wine, primarily Moscadello, a dessert wine produced still today. Then, in the mid-1800s, farmer Clemente Santi cultivated local Sangiovese vines specifically to express Montalcino's warm, arid climate, altitude and variety of soils - near in distance but far in flavor from Chianti.

Production remained sleepy, even after 1980, when Brunello di Montalcino became the first Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG), Italy's guarantee of top-quality regions.

But Montalcino's exclusivity won fans. The peaceful village lured adventurous tourists away from throngs clogging the Ponte Vecchio and other Florentine attractions. Brunello became a "find," pricier than Chianti, but with unique concentration, elegance and age worthiness.

Montalcino eventually found its imbroglio. In 2008, a two-year investigation accused producers of blending in Cabernet and other varieties, violating the 100 percent Sangiovese mandate. The dark cloud of "Brunello-gate" proved mostly silver-lining by attracting international attention and reinforcing commitment to quality.

Today, Brunello di Montalcino's reputation as one of the world's finest wine is secure, judging by top wine merchants, sommeliers and journalists attending the "Benvenuto Brunello" tasting, offered by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino.

The focus: the soon-to-arrive 2013 vintage. Searching for talking points, the crowd questioned producers, "What was the challenge of the vintage? Too hot? Too dry?" "Nope, just right," came the consistent reply.

• Mary Ross is an Advanced Sommelier (Court of Master Sommeliers), a Certified Wine Educator (Society of Wine Educators) and recipient of the Wine Spectator's "Grand Award of Excellence." Her classes on wine and food are offered through The Chopping Block, Chicago. Write to her at food@daily herald.com.