Cortonesi La Mannella Brunello di Montalcino 2015
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Winemaker Notes
Luscious dark crimson Brunello with bountiful and intense aromas of red fruit, blackberry, spice, leather and cedar that lingers. The wine is clean, sharp but bold and generous at the same time. There is a touch of bitter almond, followed by softer tones of red berry and spice on the palate, with a long, lingering finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lots of glazed dark cherries meet with aniseed, licorice, tar and five spice. While the nose is quite decadent, the palate takes a more restrained approach with suave, polished tannins that coat the mouth in a comely, tidy fashion
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Cortonesi 2015 Brunello di Montalcino La Mannella comes from a vineyard site located not too far from Montosoli, at the foot of the hill where the town of Montalcino stands tall. The soils at this site see a mix of clay and flysch. It offers slightly contained aromas at first that open to reveal dark berry fruit, rose petal and crushed stone. This wine remains direct and accessible with a medium-weight approach backed by fine and structured tannins.
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Tasting Panel
Earthy, berry-tinged nose; smooth and lush with deep blackberry and floral notes; graceful and complex.
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Wine Enthusiast
Red berry, blue flower, forest floor and menthol aromas meld together on this fullbodied red. It’s tightly knit and firmly structured, delivering raspberry compote, cranberry and clove set against assertive, seasoned tannins. Drink 2022–2027
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Decanter
La Manella is the name of the Cortonesi family's estate on the northern slopes of the Montalcino hill. Rather than a single vineyard, it comprises a number of plots totalling approximately 5ha. These are blended and bottled separately from its smaller holding in the south of Montalcino. It is already showing a bit of development, though still appealing. The nose emphasises savory leather and dried floral aromas, while on the palate brighter notes of red cherry and pepper appear and the tannins give a perceptible grip. Nevertheless, I'd drink this within the decade. Drinking Window 2020 - 2028
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Wine
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
Famous for its bold, layered and long-lived red, Brunello di Montalcino, the town of Montalcino is about 70 miles south of Florence, and has a warmer and drier climate than that of its neighbor, Chianti. The Sangiovese grape is king here, as it is in Chianti, but Montalcino has its own clone called Brunello.
The Brunello vineyards of Montalcino blanket the rolling hills surrounding the village and fan out at various elevations, creating the potential for Brunello wines expressing different styles. From the valleys, where deeper deposits of clay are found, come wines typically bolder, more concentrated and rich in opulent black fruit. The hillside vineyards produce wines more concentrated in red fruits and floral aromas; these sites reach up to over 1,600 feet and have shallow soils of rocks and shale.
Brunello di Montalcino by law must be aged a minimum of four years, including two years in barrel before realease and once released, typically needs more time in bottle for its drinking potential to be fully reached. The good news is that Montalcino makes a “baby brother” version. The wines called Rosso di Montalcino are often made from younger vines, aged for about a year before release, offer extraordinary values and are ready to drink young.