2018 Rosso di Montalcino, La Serena, Tuscany, Italy
About this WINE
La Serena, Tuscany
Local lad Andrea Mantengoli has been farming Cantina La Serena since 1988. The farm is next door to Cerbaiona and Biondi Santi, on the eastern shoulder of Montalcino. The vines here are grown at 200-400 metres’ altitude. This covers a range of different soil strata: atypically white and yellow tufo; sand; schist; and galestro. Each gives depth and detail to the wine.
Andrea and his twin brother, Marcello, manage the estate. They are proudly organic, and they use some biodynamic methods. In addition to grapes and vines, the ecosystem here includes spelt, grain, olives and honeybees.
Rosso di Montalcino
Rosso di Montalcino is a large Tuscan DOC, to the far south of the Chianti Classico region, which has been classified since 1983.
The wines are fruity, soft, light and forward-maturing. They come from Sangiovesse vines outside the finer Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, harvested at up to 62 hl/ha, or from declassified Brunello fruit (often from young vines) in which case the yield must be the same as Brunello wines, at 55 hl/ha.
Sangiovese
A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.
It is a high yielding, late ripening grape that performs best on well-drained calcareous soils on south-facing hillsides. For years it was blighted by poor clonal selection and massive overcropping - however since the 1980s the quality of Sangiovese-based wines has rocketed upwards and they are now some of the most sought after in the world.
It produces wines with pronounced tannins and acidity, though not always with great depth of colour, and its character can vary from farmyard/leather nuances through to essence of red cherries and plums. In the 1960s the advent of Super Tuscans saw bottlings of 100% Sangiovese wines, as well as the introduction of Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blends, the most famous being Tignanello.
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Description
This is from vines at 300 metres’ altitude grown on tuffo, sand and mineral-rich galestro. Picked in the last week of September, fermentation in steel is followed 12 months in mixed barrels. With rose, balsamic and wood spice on the nose, the palate is plump, cherry-like and glossy. Supple, chewy tannins lead to a mineral bite; it’s stunning.
Drink 2021 - 2028
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