UCCELLIERA 2016 BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO

Uccelliera's Brunellos are among the best in any given vintage. Proprietor Andrea Cortonesi came from a family of sharecroppers, but he had the choice to leave farming behind. Instead, he dedicated himself to excelling at it, though wisely chose the soon-to-be lucrative area of winemaking in Montalcino! By 1986 he was able to buy an old farm called l'uccelliera (the aviary) and the surrounding land. This happened to be on the slope below the town of Castelnuovo dell'Abate, an area known to be great for making high-quality Brunellos that are particularly rich and robust in style. The estate practices organic farming and employs a combination of traditional and modern winemaking techniques, including long fermentations that begin spontaneously, and aging in a mixture of Slavonian and French oak of various sizes.

Andrea has not lost his humility, knowing that he is only one of many who have, and will, pass through this estate. To honor this, he keeps a plot of the old olive trees that predate him next to the farm, even though it would be more valuable planted with vines.

JAMES SUCKLING 97 POINTS - "This is really beautiful with complex black cherry, berry, walnut and dark chocolate. Some mushroom and smoke. It’s tight and reserved with polished tannins and wonderful balance and finesse. Persistent and intense. Drink after 2025."

WINE ADVOCATE 96 POINTS - "The Uccelliera 2016 Brunello di Montalcino opens to dark fruit and wild cherry with warmer tones of cured tobacco, spice and potting soil. It shows the extra density, darkness and richness that comes so beautifully to fruit grown on the sun-drenched southern side of Castelnuovo dell'Abate in the southern half of the appellation. What Uccelliera delivers so carefully, vintage after vintage, is a truly exceptional sense of mouthfeel with textural richness and lingering creaminess. It is also one of the wines that consistently shows a sense of place. This is a touchstone estate for this specific Montalcino microclimate."