Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino 2021

Il Marroneto is among the reference estates of Montalcino, working the hill from a former chestnut-drying house. This is its classic Brunello di Montalcino, 100 percent Sangiovese, the estate range below the Madonna delle Grazie cru. The galestro and clay soils of the zone, the warm Tuscan days and the cool nights of the higher slopes give the grape both ripeness and the acidity that defines age-worthy Brunello. Maturation is long and traditional in large Slavonian oak casks, whose neutral wood and gentle oxygen exchange soften the tannin and build complexity while leaving the fruit and site in the foreground rather than the oak. The colour is bright ruby tending to garnet. The nose shows red cherry, red berries, dried herbs, leather and tobacco with a savoury, earthy base. The palate is full bodied and firmly structured, the tannin tight and fine, the acidity fresh, the finish long and savoury. This is a wine that benefits from cellaring or a decant. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees, decanted an hour or two ahead, with roasted and braised meats.