Brunello di Montalcino protagonist in 'Jay Kelly', the new Netflix film with Sandler and Clooney.
The great Italian wine traction returns to the center of the cinematographic scene, strengthening Americans' love for Italy and its productions: in one of the scenes of " Jay Kelly ", the Netflix film due out in 2025 with a stellar cast that includes George Clooney and Adam Sandler, a pool party is depicted with plenty of food and wine, and the wine of choice is Brunello di Montalcino . The locations selected by the production range from Val d'Orcia to Maremma, in particular a part of the film directed by Noah Baumbach was shot in Argiano , a historic estate in Montalcino. This estate, characterized by a Renaissance villa surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and woods, according to "Wine Spectator" the "Wine of The Year" of 2023, the best wine in the world, was produced here.
Last May, the Tenuta di Argiano welcomed the film crew for an outdoor shoot, to the amazement of the guests, who were unaware of the presence of the Hollywood stars until the end. "It was a fantastic but challenging experience, especially for the Argiano staff who were very involved," says James Valentino, general manager of the company's Relais, "It was a great honor to see people of this caliber, all very humble and available."
Most of the filming took place in the swimming pool, transformed for the occasion into a restaurant where Brunello was served. The "king" of Sangiovese has conquered not only the scene but also the director, also screenwriter of the film "Barbie", is a great fan of Brunello, he said that it is his favorite wine and he wanted to taste it, appreciating it very much. The actors, however, as soon as filming was finished, quickly moved away to avoid onlookers who tried to approach the set.
George Clooney , Adam Sandler , Noah Baumbach and the director of photography Linus Sandgren , winner of the Oscar for "La La Land", then explored the beauty of the villa, built in the sixteenth century and designed by Baldassarre Peruzzi, hosted at the end of the nineteenth century the poet Giosuè Carducci in the "literary salon" of Countess Ersilia Caetani Lovatelli. Carducci, the first Italian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, wrote: " I drink myself with Argiano wine, which is very good ." The visit included the historic cellar, the barrel rooms, the vertical well and a collection of great Italian and French wines, as well as medieval and Renaissance works of art, making the estate a true cellar-museum. "They were enthusiastic and very impressed by the beauty and majesty of Argiano," concludes Valentino, "promising to return in the future for a holiday instead of for work."