2003 Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino, 3-bottle Lot

Uccelliera in Castelnuovo dell’Abate is owned and operated by Andrea Cortonesi. Cortonesi grew up in a farming family and purchased the farm in 1986. On his 15 acres of vineyards he grows Sangiovese for his several Brunellos and a Rosso di Montalcino. Like many Italian viticulturalists, he also grows olive trees for oil. The estate is organic and produces about 60,000 bottles annually. Wine Advocate has noted that “Uccelliera is now without questions one of the handful of top producers in Montalcino.”

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.