Description

6 bottles of Cortonesi La Mannella, 2019 Brunello di Montalcino, oc.

TASTING NOTES: A rich ruby red with orange reflections. The nose is deep and complex with notes of dark fruit on the first wave, followed by soft spices, toasted almond, tilled earth and grilled herbs. The nose follows through to the palate, accented by a playful touch of sweet cherry on the close.

VITICULTURE: The grapes for this wine come from the heart of Montalcino, on 20 acres of family-owned vines situated both on a 1,000-foot hill on north side of the city (near the Montosoli Zone) and on the southeast side (in the East Zone). One of the coolest growing areas in the appellation at moderate 1,150 feet above sea level. The soil on the north side is rocky clay, with excellent exposure to the sun and many stones, while the soil on the south side is clay with sandy soil of good drainage.
2019 was seen as a near-perfect harvest and a historic vintage, marked by the true acidity and freshness of Sangiovese. It offers the same great structure as hallmark vintages like 2016 and 2010.

VINIFICATION: After careful selection of the hand-picked grapes, fermentation takes place with maceration for 20 days in stainless steel vats at controlled temperatures between 78.8° F – 86° F. The wine then spends 36 months in 3000-liter Slavonian oak casks. The combination of great passion for winemaking of the Cortonesi family, the high altitude, diversity of soils and traditional winemaking process gives to the La Mannella Brunello di Montalcino great finesse, elegance, and immense aging potential.

FAMILY: Brunello di Montalcino of Tuscany has been called “The King of Wines” and this “king” is what Cortonesi specializes in. The Cortonesis established La Mannella in the ‘70s, covering 138 acres in one of the most storied areas of the entire region of Montalcino, but only 19 of those acres are dedicated to producing a world-class Brunello. They started commercially selling their wine in 1985. Today, the wines are in the more-than-capable hands of Tommaso Cortonesi, a third-generation winemaker.
The first vintage of Cortonesi’s Brunello came in 1990, which took advantage of the rocky, well-drained soils of the vineyard site, ensuring a long-aging wine. Modern technological advances, too, go a long way in producing outstanding wine.

PRODUCER: Cortonesi

REGION: DOCG Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany

GRAPE(S): 100% Sangiovese
SKU: LMBM197
ALCOHOL: 14.5%
TOTAL ACIDITY: 6 G/L
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 0 G/L
pH: 3.4