Le Potazzine Brunello di Montalcino 2001 – 2013

BY IAN D'AGATA | OCTOBER 17, 2018

Despite its short history, Le Potazzine is universally regarded as one of Montalcino’s top dozen or so wineries. The estate is known for remarkably refined Brunellos that speak of vintage, place and grape variety with utmost precision.

I could list many reasons why a visit to Le Potazzine is a must for all wine lovers. It’s not just a beautiful property but also offers a crash course on the potential greatness of Sangiovese, as Le Potazzine makes consistently precise, varietally accurate Brunello di Montalcino. And the estate’s reputation as a sure-fire source of excellent Sangiovese is further enhanced by its magnificent Rosso di Montalcino, easily is one of the best in versions of this wine readers will come across.

The vineyards at Le Potazzine in early February

The Estate and Its Vineyards

Le Potazzine takes its name from the little, constantly moving sparrow-like birds that are ubiquitous in the Tuscan countryside (the estate’s label depicts two cute little birds sitting side by side). As owner Gigliola Gianetti’s two daughters, Viola and Sofia, were just as busy and active as the small birds when they were little girls, their grandmother referred to them as her “potazzine” and so that became the estate’s name. Le Potazzine owns five hectares planted entirely to Sangiovese in the heart of some of Montalcino’s best zones. All of the property is registered for Brunello production, which means that when the estate chooses to make a Rosso di Montalcino, it really is a declassified Brunello. Total production is around 30,000 bottles per year, half of which is Rosso. The estate also makes about 4,000 to 5,000 bottles of Parus, an Indicazione Geografica Tipica, or IGT, wine sourced from rented vineyards in the Sant’Angelo in Colle area.