Cerbaiona is just east of Montalcino. It was founded in the late 1970s when Diego Molinari retired from his career as an airline pilot and with his wife Nora bought the 8-acre estate, which was in disrepair. The Molinaris built the estate into a highly esteemed producer known for its Brunello di Montalcino, though it also makes a Rosso di Montalcino. The wines win high praise from reviewers, including Gambero Rosso, Italy’s leading wine journal, which frequently awards Cerbaiona wines with 3 glasses, the highest rating. In 2015 Oregon-based venture capitalist Gary Rieschel led an investment group who purchased the winery from the Molinaris. Rieschel and the Molinaris are long-time friends. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “Diego Molinari regularly turns out some of the most inspiring wines in the region. His Brunello is a classically built, structured wine that expresses the very essence of Sangiovese from Montalcino.”