2016 La Serena Brunello di Montalcino

La Serena was founded in 1933 as a farm producing olive oil and other agricultural products. In 1988 Andrea Mantengoli and his brother, then in charge of the family estate, starting producing wine for commercial release. From 2,700 bottles of Brunello di Montalcino in 1988, production is now about 30,000 bottles annually. The 22 vineyard acres are farmed organically. La Serena makes Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino. Wine Advocate has rated La Serena’s Brunellos in the mid-90s and written this about the estate: “Andrea Mantengoli is a producer whose star is clearly on the rise. These new releases from Mantengoli are all standouts.”

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.