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….”