Some subjects invite an eternal recurrence. One such is Tuscany. The other day, I wrote about that glorious region: its mastery of la dolce vita, its almost effortless command of civilisation. Indeed, Tuscan civilisation is a tautology. Since then, I have paid a brief visit. There was only one shadow. How can one find the words to equal the subject matter?

My host was Grahame McGirr, a successful banker who has always been fascinated by wine, which led him to buy a vineyard near Monte-pulciano. I commented on some of his wines after a tasting in London. They were impressive: promise, stimulated by ambition. He pressed me to report on the promise in situ – the things one does for friends. So there I was, on a terrace, glass(es) in hand, above a swimming pool, looking out over the vines, with a vista stretching towards the distant hills. When Grahame bought the property, there were vines, though ill-maintained, and a main building of fine masonry, equally badly maintained. The new owner put that right while also creating an elegant small hotel. As an ensemble – the Casa M – it works. It has every modern convenience, yet there is a sense of antiquity. Men have lived, loved and drunk here for many centuries.

The archaeologists are still arguing about the dates. Previous owners discovered two Etruscan tombs. There were grave goods, though nothing remarkable, which are now in a museum. But wine was produced here long before we Brits had even discovered woad. It seems likely that the Etruscans sought to salute their dead, and placate their Gods, with a libation.

Centuries later, by the end of the Roman Republic, sophisticates understood the importance of terroir and praised old vintages, especially Falernian. Pottering in a copy of the Georgics, I wished I had been forced to study Latin for longer. Virgil knew that the strength and power of Rome rested on twin foundations: the valour of its men and the fecundity of its soil.

Anyway, Grahame is the greatest Scots wine producer in Tuscany. He started off with an Asti Spumante and a Toscana bianco. At some time or other, most of us have been lured into drinking bad Asti, but when it is good, it can be more than palatable, and this one was. The bianco was a perfect summer tipple.

We moved on to reds. There was a decent Chianti, enhanced by some Cabernet Sauvignon. But we were near Montalcino. Grahame was determined to rise to that challenge with a Vino Nobile and also a rosso. The rosso was fine. Robust but not excessively so, it went admirably with salami, and will be equally sound in the game season. But the Vino Nobile was outstanding: 2019, so not at its peak, but it is striding confidently up a high hill of promise. A good glass now, it will last. I have occasionally tasted the odd Vino Nobile that has not lived up to its resounding name, yet the locals need not fear. The Casa M version will add lustre to the wine’s reputation.

Graham has further goals. The next is a Super Tuscan, which will be called Mackie. A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, it is a young wine with exceptional power and will need a little longer to grace the table. It will be worth the wait.

Casa M is ideally situated. It is no great distance to Siena, Arezzoand Pienza, not to mention Perugiaor Orvieto. (There is no need to restrict oneself to the Tuscan boundary.) Florence is not that far, nor San Gimignano, nor Lucca. When all these locations with their artistic delights are enhanced not only by wine, but by the Casa M team’s determination to make an enduring combination – their monumentum aere perennius – we are in a special place.