2015 Brunello di Montalcino

La Magia’s vineyards are located in the warmer southeastern part of the Montalcino denomination, and while the wines are usually on the fleshy and ripe side, they often pack-in enough harmonious acidity that provides them with lift and gracefulness. This estate’s Rosso is a declassified Brunello (La Magia owns 17.5 hectares and they are all Sangiovese vineyards registered to Brunello production) and tends to make more Rosso in those years when the weather does not allow production of a super Brunello. For this reason, there was no Rosso di Montalcino made at La Magia in the excellent 2015 vintage, while in a difficult year such as 2014 the estate made 30,000 bottles of Rosso and only 10,000 of Brunello di Montalcino. The 2015 Brunello is a ripe and fleshy crowd-pleaser, and very typical of the estate’s style.

One of the first wineries founded in Montalcino during the late sixties, La Magia farms entirely using organic and biodynamic principles, and it managed to find wonderful balance in the sunny 2015 vintage. Their soils, sitting between 400-450 meters above sea level, are composed of sandstone, limestone and clay. This is a well-sheltered vineyard with vines exceeding forty years of age, aided by the cooling influences of the surrounding forests. The fact that they choose to age for 36 months in 500-liter French tonneaux is really about stylistic preferences. The wood may be evident, yet it’s hard to argue with the quality of their fruit and the resulting mix found in their Brunello.