Brunello di Montalcino, Cortonesi La Manella 2018

A brilliant connoisseur friend recently spent several weeks around Montalcino is Southern Tuscany, searching for consistency, value and quality all wrapped into one Brunello producer that would work across the restaurant trade in London. 

The Cortonesi wines are the result of that search.  

Tommaso Cortonesi’s grandfather bought La Mannella in the 1970s. The estate spreads over 56 hectares, eight of which produce Brunello di Montalcino. The major vineyard is around the winery at La Mannella, just north of Montalcino itself, but there is another vineyard near Castelnuovo dell’ Abate, to the south east of the town.

The Rosso di Montalcino comes from vines planted in 2011 and is aged for one year in 30hl Slavonian oak botte.  Annual production is between 12,000 and 14,000 bottles, so fairly small.  It has a very delicate colour and is delicate in style though stands up to ragu!

The Brunello is of course made entirely from Sangiovese and is aged for 40 months in large oak barrels, then a further six months in bottle, before release. It has a very delicate colour and offers a tight knit, bitter cherry fruit character.