HISTORY Brunello di Montalcino of Tuscany has been called “The King of Wines” and this “king” is what Cortonesi specializes in. The Cortonesis established La Mannella in the ‘70s, covering 138 acres in one of the most storied areas of the entire region of Montalcino, but only 19 of those acres are dedicated to producing a worldclass Brunello. They started commercially selling their wine in 1985. Today, the wines are in the more-than-capable hands of Tommaso Cortonesi, a third-generation winemaker.
The first vintage of Cortonesi’s Brunello came in 1990, which took advantage of the rocky, well-drained soils of the vineyard site, ensuring a long-aging wine. Modern technological advances, too, go a long way in producing outstanding wine.
VINEYARDS & WINEMAKING This is a young wine made from the youngest vineyard in La Mannella, in the Montosoli Zone on the North side of Montalcino. It is one of the coolest zones in Montalcino, offering an ideal climate for preserving aromas, balance and finesse in the finished wine. The estate vines were planted in 2011. The soil is clay and rocky, with excellent exposure to the sun. The vineyard trellis systems is spurred cordon, with the winemaking following the traditions for making high-quality Rosso.
After careful selection of the hand-picked grapes, they are macerated on the skins for two weeks and fermented in stainless steel. The wine then spends 12 months in large Slovenian oak casks.
Owner and winemaker Tommaso Cortonesi describes this Rosso di Montalcino as his “business card wine” – a wine with beautiful drinkability and great aging potential.
TASTING NOTES The Cortonesi Rosso di Montalcino La Mannella shows aromas of red berry fruit, almond and plum. The wine offers a prominent sense of structure and beautiful freshness – primary characteristics of the La Mannella site.
