2021 Rosso di Montalcino

Mastrojanni is going through positive changes. Last year, Francesco Illy, also owner of Podere Le Ripi, acquired the winery in total. Today’s Mastrojanni is looking to the future with its 110 hectares located in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, most of which are woodlands that have been left untouched. Forty of those hectares are contiguous plantings located around the winery. The vineyards range from 195 to 400 meters, mostly on clay and stone soils. The exception is Vigna Loreto, which grows on silty sand and river stones once left by the Ocria River. Besides nursing their olive groves back to health, the team at Mastrojanni focuses on biodiversity and biodynamics. This year's visit included a tasting of both the 2016s and the soon-to-be-released 2019s. Frankly, I didn’t expect the 2019s to outdo the 2016s, yet the Vigna Schiena d'Asino is absolutely glorious, as is the Vigna Loreto. If anything, I have to question why the estate Brunello, which is a solid and well-balanced wine, doesn’t perform at a slightly higher level. In the end, Mastrojanni remains a testament to the importance of Castelnuovo dell’Abate for Montalcino.