Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino 2021

98 points from not one, but TWO top critics on this 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is practically a sign from the universe, or a higher power, or maybe just the mystic powers of Montalcino itself. We have incredibly limited numbers, for a price that feels just as elusive… please do what you must to hang onto at least a couple of these. 

Giuseppe Mori was a lawyer from Siena, but when he took one look at the views over the Orcia valley, he bought the Il Marroneto property the next day. This move was either impulsive or visionary, depending on your tolerance for real estate risk… but it’s a risk that has majorly paid off. The Il Marroneto name comes from a 13th-century stone building once used to dry chestnuts (“marroni” in Tuscan), and Giuseppe planted the first vines in the 1970s. His son Alessandro, also a lawyer, made the first vintage by hand in 1980 and was hopelessly hooked. By the 1990s, Brunello was his life’s work, and these days he’s joined by his son Iacopo, who critics have noted has raised the bar of the estate to even greater heights.

The vineyards cling to steep, cool, north-facing slopes at roughly 400-430 meters, tucked just beneath the town walls of Montalcino. Chilly night winds and dramatic temperature swings keep the fruit fresh and the acidity crackling, which is the secret behind these famously elegant, long-lived wines. Alessandro’s method is gloriously old-school, using native yeasts, minimal intervention, and patient aging in large oak casks. No shortcuts, no nonsense.

Now, for the 2021 vintage. Two critics gave it a slamming 98 points apiece, plus a pile of other lofty scores, and Decanter calling it “the estate’s best classic Brunello so far”. The nose is like wandering through a Tuscan garden right after a rainstorm… dried rose petals, wild strawberry, and sweet black cherry over wet slate, cedar shavings, and the tiniest bit of pipe tobacco, with a curl of bitter orange peel and a sprig of rosemary for good measure. The palate displays plush fruit wrapped in finely sanded tannins and acidity pulled taut as a violin string, trailing into a long, savory, lightly spiced finish. Decant it tonight, or hide it in the cellar for 20 years and become insufferably smug about it. Whatever you do, just get some!

FOOD PAIRINGS: Go big and hearty with a potato gnocchi topped with sausage sugo for a spiced, just-fatty-enough, warming dish to cut through the big fruit and acidity of the wine.