2004 Lazzeretti Rosso di Montalcino, 12-bottle Lot

Lazzeretti is in Italy’s Montalcino region, near Sienna. It is owned and operated by the Lazzeretti family, who have been in winemaking for generations. But in 1998 the young Marco Lazzeretti took over the business and added 10 more acres to the estate. He also started bottling under his own name. His limited production wines have earned praise from reviewers including Stephen Tanzer, who gave Marco Lazzeretti’s debut 2001 Brunello di Montalcino 94 pts. Lazzeretti is known for Brunello di Montalcino, but also makes a Rosso di Montalcino and several red blends.

Rosso di Montalcino is a DOC than encompasses the exact same area as the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, the difference being that Rosso de Montalcinos require only one year of aging. Located in south central Tuscany below Chianti, the wines of Montalcino, both the DOC and the 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, appellation status Montalcinos are 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.

This red grape is largely grown in central Italy. As the sole component or in a blend, it gives us Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino and Super Tuscans, among other favorites wines. The name is derived from the Latin for “blood of Jove.”