Il Marroneto Madonna delle Grazie Brunello di Montalcino 2021

Il Marroneto, named after an old chestnut-drying house, farms this Brunello di Montalcino from the Madonna delle Grazie vineyard on the cooler northern edge of the hill, close to the town walls. The grape is 100 percent Sangiovese, here in its powerful Brunello expression. The galestro and clay soils, combined with the higher, cooler aspect and a wide diurnal range, slow ripening and hold acidity, giving a wine that is both deep and fresh. Ageing follows tradition, with long maturation in large Slavonian oak botti where the neutral wood allows slow oxygen exchange and resolves tannin without adding obvious oak flavour, letting the site speak. The colour is deep ruby with garnet edges. The nose is complex, with cherry, plum, dried flowers, leather, tobacco and liquorice over a savoury earth. The palate is full bodied, the tannin firm and finely grained, the acidity bright, the finish very long and mineral. This is a structured wine for the cellar or for decanting. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees with two hours of air alongside roasted and braised red meats.