2001 Brunello di Montalcino

Proprietor Diego Molinari has turned out one of the vintage's top wines in 2001. His Brunello, which is neither fined nor filtered prior to bottling, is a classically-built, structured wine that expresses the very essence of Sangiovese from Montalcino. After having recently tasted through well over 100 Brunellos all I can say is that it is a shame there aren't more producers making wines of such great personality and distinction. Cerbaiona is located near the town of Montalcino. The vineyards reach an altitude of about 350 meters above sea level and the terroir is mostly composed of the rock and marl mixture known as galestro. “We are fortunate to be in a part of the zone that is rich in forests. I am not a big believer in a monoculture environment. Although it is hard to quantify scientifically, I think wines lose something when wild flowers, forests and other surrounding vegetation are eliminated,” says Molinari. “For us everything begins in the vineyard where we work to keep yields low. I try to interfere as little as possible so that the unique characteristics of each vintage come through. In 2001 we harvested our Sangiovese around the 25th of September. The fruit was fermented without added yeasts in glass-lined cement where we also carried out the malolactic fermentation. The wine was then racked into 20 hectoliter Slavonian oak casks where it spent more than three years. Overall I am quite pleased with the results although I think it is too soon to have a definitive opinion on the vintage. We'll know more after the winter.”