Winemaker Notes
TASTING NOTES: A luscious Brunello with bountiful aromas of dark fruit
with dried cherry, blackcurrant and plum. On a second wave of aromas, you
encounter softer spice with toasted almond, tilled earth and grilled herb. This is a
classic expression of the crisp but sunny 2017 vintage with an open and foodfriendly personality. There is a playful touch of sweet cherry on the close.
VITICULTURE: The grapes for this wine come from the heart of Montalcino,
on 19.768 acres of family-owned vines situated both on a 984.2-foot hill on
north side of the city (near the Montosoli Zone) and on the southeast side (in the
East Zone). One of the coolest growing areas in the appellation at moderate
382.8 yards (350 meters) above sea level. The soil on the north side is rocky clay,
with excellent exposure to the sun and a large number of stones, while the soil
on the south side is clay with sandy soil of good drainage.
VINIFICATION: After careful selection of the hand-picked grapes,
fermentation takes place with maceration for 20 days in stainless steel vats at
controlled temperatures between 78.8° F – 86° F. The wine then spends 36
months in 3000-liter Slavonian oak casks. The combination of great passion for
winemaking of the Cortonesi family, the high altitude, diversity of soils and
traditional winemaking process gives to the La Mannella Brunello di Montalcino
great finesse, elegance, and immense aging potential.
FAMILY: 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 world-class Brunello. They started commercially selling
their wine in 1985. And 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.
