Uccelliera – Andrea Cortonesi in Montalcino

A Boot-full of Wine – Tasting Notes from Italy

Dr Brendan Jansen

30 December 2009

It was a mild autumn day as my companion and I drove to Montacino from Florence. As we approached the hills around Montalcino, Mauro, my friend, remarked that the heavy fog which surrounded the low hills would not be present when we reached the top of the hill upon which Montalcino lies.

He was right. We reached the summit of this medieval town, replete with its own fortress, 500 metres above sea level, to a clear vista. The peaks of the neighbouring hills looked like boats, bobbing on a vast cloudy ocean. We picked up Laura, our host, from Il Palazzone (about which I have already written) and made the short trip to Uccelliera, about ten kilometres away, and at an altitude of about 350 metres.

Andrea Cortonesi made time to see us despite having much on his plate that day. He met us with muddy boots and calloused hands. He began talking about his philosophy of wine and winemaking. He spent time developing his ideas from his time working at two local wineries – Ciacci Piccolomini and Mastroianni.

He explained that, when he had bought the land in the mid 1980s, he had chosen sites with various aspects and various altitudes. These sites also come with different soils, and therefore, different expressions of the Sangiovese Grosso grape. His vineyards lie between 150 and 350 metres above sea level, and some face south, others east and still others west.

This means that every year, he is able to make a Brunello, possibly different no doubt to the previous year, but nonetheless of outstanding quality, even if the weather was challenging because of heat or rainfall variations.

Andrea then took us on a tour of the cellar, where we tasted from barrels, the 2008, 2007 and 2006 vintages. He showed us about four different barrel samples from each vintage, highlighting the effects of terroir and oak – some wines had spent a year in French barriques, others two and still others had remained in the older Slavonian oak bote or large barrels. What began as a winery visit had turned into a Brunello masterclass!

He then offered us to taste the 2005 and 2001 vintages. Both were stunning, with the 2001 superior and benefitting from the effects of bottle aging.

As Andrea talked, he became more animated; his eyes lit up. Brunello is clearly a passion for him, and he truly qualifies as an artisan. One of the most impressive aspects of the man is his superlative palate – an enormous asset given the importance of the assemblage.

My pick of the tasting was the sample earmarked as a Riserva from one of the 2006 large bote. It was a wine of immense power and structure yet still displaying finesse and elegance. Fruit, acid and tannins are in perfect balance, displaying both complexity and persistence. I for one will search it out upon release.

Until next time, ciao!

Brendan Jansen