2019 Brunello di Montalcino, Madonna delle Grazie, Il Marroneto, Tuscany, Italy

To arrive at Il Marroneto, an almost impossibly steep street is to be followed. The estate is on the northern flank of Montalcino, lying over a Jurassic soil; one of the oldest in Italy. In the cellar, an old botte grande is slowly gurgling, mumbling, bubbling. The fermentation here is natural, malolactic included, all in oak. Madonna delle Grazie – Brunello from a single vineyard beside the estate – rests in large oak casks for 42 months. ‘For us, the oak is conceived just to store the wine,’ says Iacopo Mori, the second generation, today in charge. This 2019 is sleek and fresh on the nose, with red currants and dark cherry, and a graceful depth of incense and smoky woodland, sweet violet, cinnamon and orange peel. Vibrancy dominates the palate, with long, fierce acidity and thick, velvety tannins leading to a sweet, persistent aftertaste.

Drink 2024 - 2045

Deep youthful ruby. This takes it up a step higher compared with the estate wine from Il Marroneto in 2019. Minerals steeped in rich raspberry with hints of fresh garden herb and mace. Gorgeous juicy fruit with enormous focus and stunning, fine, long, deep tannins.

Drink 2028 - 2042

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie tempts the imagination with a dark veil of exotic florals and spices that slowly lifts to reveal dried blackberries and cherries enlivened by hints of mint and a dusting of clove. This soothes with its silken textures and ripe red berry fruits as a blend of saline minerals and fine tannins slowly collect toward the close. Structured yet incredibly long and deep, it tapers off like a black hole, inward and youthfully tense, blending sweet tannins with steeped plums and balsam herbs. The 2019 is one of the most energetic yet complex renditions of Madonna delle Grazie I have yet tasted. I could get lost for days in this wine.

Drink 2026 - 2044

This is a racy wine with deep layers, infinite complexity and a wild, almost mischievous personality. I have noticed that other Brunellos imitate this style, but none come close to the one and only. The Il Marroneto 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie exudes immediate aromas that are vibrant, elegant and full of energy. This is a wine of light and power, and I am reminded of Spain's Comando G, especially considering its uniquely punchy quality. Sweet cranberry, coriander seed, cola, licorice and white pepper emerge with purpose. There is a hint of sweetness that feels like summer singing from the glass. The mouthfeel is very much alive with terrific freshness and fine, dusty tannins that coat the entire mouth.

Montalcino's Alessandro Mori makes of some of my favorite wines. He proudly follows a very traditional winemaking philosophy that is only a few steps removed from the olden days when wine presses were powered by donkeys.

Drink 2026 - 2055