2011 Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino

Il Marroneto’s first vines were planted in 1975, when Giuseppe Mori planted Sangiovese vineyards just outside the town of Montalcino. The debut of Il Marroneto’s Brunello was the 1978 vintage. Today Alessandro Mori, Giuseppe’s son, runs the 15-acre estate with his wife Lucia, and a cellar master. The estate is named for the fact that its cellar was historically used for drying chestnuts, or “marrones.” By Italian standards – in which winemaking is often a family affair that goes back centuries – Il Marroneto is considered something of a youthful upstart, even a “garagiste” style producer. Nevertheless its Brunellos and Rosso di Montalcinos have won attention from reviewers and a cult following among those who enjoy Brunello. Gambero Rosso has written that “the care and emotion that Alessandro Mori puts into his winemaking is no longer a secret…. (the wines) have developed a cult following among those who love the purest, most essential expression of Brunello….”

Brunello di Montalcino is regarded as one of Italy’s best appellations. Located in south central Tuscany below Chianti, the wines of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG are made of a Sangiovese clone called “brunello,” which means “little dark one,” a reference to the brown tones in the skin of the grape. Unlike some Tuscan appellations that allow other grapes to be blended with Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino is entirely Sangiovese. Montalcino itself is a picturesque, hill-top town not especially well known for wine production until the mid-19th century, when a local vineyard owner isolated the brunello clone and planted it. Other growers followed suit. Nevertheless it wasn’t until 1970s that wine enthusiasts started paying attention to Brunello di Montalcino, which by then was becoming an outstanding wine. Today there are 120 estates in the DOCG, up from about 25 estates in 1975. Brunellos in general are bigger, darker, more tannic and more powerful wines than Chiantis or most other Sangioveses. By law they must be aged for four years, and two of those years must be in wooden barrels.