Brunello Di Montalcino La Mannella Cortonesi 2019

Brunello Di Montalcino La Mannella, Cortonesi, Tuscany, Italy, 2019

Grape: 100% Sangiovese, clay/limestone soil, 40 months' ageing in large Slavonian oak botte

Producer Tasting Note:

Characterised by an intense ruby red colour, on the nose, it is complex with aromas of red fruit, accompanied by spicy notes. The warm and juicy palate offers black currant, blackberry, floral, mineral and underbrush flavours, and this red shows some muscle, ending with a terrific aftertaste of ripe fruit, mineral and vegetal accents, alongside tones of campfire ash and leather. It offers a velvety, medium to full-bodied texture, feeling balanced overall, but needs some time for the dense tannins to integrate fully.

Critics' Tasting Notes

"Serious and assertive in its sensory profile, it shows notes of cherries, morello cherries, green tea leaves, peppermint, camphor, jasmine, gardenia flowers and hawthorn. Lots of mandarin peel describes the secondary scene. Medium body, perfectly ripe tannins and a classically traditional finish with important juiciness that is truly delicious." Best after 2025

97/100 points, Raffaele Vecchione - WinesCritic.com, October 2023

"Lustrous ruby with orange tinges. Compact and still a little closed on the nose with the faintest hint of oak. With aeration stony notes emerge. Same embryonic impression on the palate with a thick layer of fantastic, gravelly tannins. Finely balanced and right now with a gripping structure – but this needs more time. It will be worth the wait."  Drink 2026-2036

17.5/20 points, Walter Speller, JancisRobinson.com, November 2023

"The nose has an abundance of earthy, savory aromas, including old leather, damp soil, mushrooms and balsamic, with just barely sweet undertones of dark chocolate and black cherry. The palate continues to balance dark fruit with that nearly smoky savoriness, while tannins add complexity without disrupting a silken sensation in the mouth."

94/100 points, WINE ENTHUSIAST, September 2024

Tommaso Cortonesi’s grandfather bought La Mannella in the 1970s. The estate spreads over 56 hectares, eight of which produce Brunello di Montalcino. The major vineyard is around the winery at La Mannella, just north of Montalcino itself, but there is another vineyard near Castelnuovo dell’ Abate, to the south east of the town. Originally, just one Brunello was made, a blend from the two separate vineyards, but in the 1990s, Tommaso and his father realised that the two vineyards had distinctly different soil composition. They decided that better wine would be made if each terroir was properly realised in the bottle, and thus were born Poggiarelli (in the south east) and La Mannella (in the north).

This wine is from the La Mannella vineyard, which is mainly clay and limestone at an altitude of 280-350 m. The oldest vines were planted in 1983, and another two plots were planted in 1998. It is 100% Sangiovese with the final wine spending three years in 30hl Slavonian oak botte. In total about 25,000 bottles are made.

All the wines at this estate have great purity of fruit and are vibrant expressions of their terroir. La Mannella is a supremely silky, seductive Brunello with great length and delicious mouthfeel. It is a Brunello to enjoy on those occasions when only the very, very best will do!

Food Match: Rich and savoury dishes including venison, wild boar, pheasant, mushroom and truffle dishes, aged hard cheeses (Parmesan & Pecorino)