2001 Le Potazzine (Gorelli) Brunello di Montalcino

Tenuta le Potazzine was established in 1993, when Giuseppe Gorelli decided to launch his own label after years of working on his father’s estate. Gorelli and his wife Gigliola Giannetti named their estate for the small, charming birds called le potazzine that migrate to and from the area, and because “le potazzine” was the nickname given to their young daughters by one of their grandmothers. With only 12 acres of vineyards, the estate’s production is limited to about 50,000 bottles annually. The estate produces well-reviewed Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino. Gambero Rosso generally awards the wines 2 glasses, and sometimes 3 glasses, the highest recommendation. Gambero Rosso wrote in 2014 that the Gorellis “continue to offer an admirably graceful and breezy interpretation from their Sangiovese grapes…Le Potazzine’s Brunellos are recognizable for their crystal clear fruit and their constraint.”

Brunello di Montalcino is regarded as one of Italy’s best appellations. Located in south central Tuscany below Chianti, the wines of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG are made of a Sangiovese clone called “brunello,” which means “little dark one,” a reference to the brown tones in the skin of the grape. Unlike some Tuscan appellations that allow other grapes to be blended with Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino is entirely Sangiovese. Montalcino itself is a picturesque, hill-top town not especially well known for wine production until the mid-19th century, when a local vineyard owner isolated the brunello clone and planted it. Other growers followed suit. Nevertheless it wasn’t until 1970s that wine enthusiasts started paying attention to Brunello di Montalcino, which by then was becoming an outstanding wine. Today there are 120 estates in the DOCG, up from about 25 estates in 1975. Brunellos in general are bigger, darker, more tannic and more powerful wines than Chiantis or most other Sangioveses. By law they must be aged for four years, and two of those years must be in wooden barrels.