The crowd at my designated time slot at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan was thoroughly enjoying the moment. There were two representatives from Chicago and one locally representing Fattoria La Gerla, which is the only family-owned property in Montalcino working with the original Biondi Santi Sangiovese clones. The winery, besides producing wine, also makes Grappa and Olive Oil.
The last three wines of the tasting were all Brunello di Montalcino designated wines. The first was Fattoria La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2019. This Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) wine is from vines that average thirty years in age, and the vines under intense pruning to limit only a few bunches per plant, manual harvesting and then the fruit is sorted on tables. Once sorted the fruit is soft pressed, and the juice undergoes fermentation and maceration for fifteen days in temperature-controlled vats. Then the wine is aged for twenty-four months in Slavonian Oak barrels in assorted sizes and then bottle aged for twelve months prior to being released. This deep ruby colored wine offered notes of plums, cherries and strawberries, followed by violets, and then some citrus, tobacco, baking spices and Sous-bois. On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of dark fruits, vanilla and cloves blending with rich acidity and firm tannins and ending with a long-count finish of fruits, spices and terroir. Ready for drinking or continued cellaring.
The penultimate wine was Fattoria La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG Gli Angeli 2019. This is the flagship of the estate from their Vigna gli Angeli (Vineyard of the Angels) which was first planted at Colombaio in 1965; this wine is only produced in exceptional vintages and made with the concept of long cellaring. This wine is pure Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) and the vines average fifty-five years of age, and they undergo intense pruning of only a few bunches per plant, manually harvested and then additional selection of grapes on a selection table. The grapes are soft pressed, fermentation and maceration for fifteen days in temperature-controlled vats with macro-oxygenation. The wine is aged for four years in Slavonian Oak barrels and then aged an additional twelve months in bottle before release; there were 8,100 bottles produced. A deep ruby colored wine that offered notes of dark fruits, violets, citrus and vanilla with Sous-bois and a trace of camphor. On the palate this full-bodied, well-balance wine displayed tones of rich fruit compote, citrus and vanilla, followed by cloves, and other herbs and spices blending with fresh acidity, firm tannins and a dash of salinity ending with a very long-count finish of fruit, spices and terroir. A very serious wine that probably should have more time in the cellar, and from talking to the representatives, this may be the last of the allotment, and it sounded like it was all sold out, save the bottle for tasting.
The last wine of the tasting was Fattoria La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino DOCG La Pieve 2020. La Pieve Vineyard was planted in 1997 on slopes between two hills and above an old marble quarry. The average age of the vines are twenty-five years of Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) and the vines undergo intensive pruning to enable only a few bunches per plant, hand harvested and then the grapes are put on a selection table for the final pick. The grapes are soft pressed, and fermentation and maceration in a temperature-controlled vat and then aged for twenty-four months in Slavonian Oak barrels, with an additional eight months of bottle aging before release; with a production of 6,450 bottles. A deep ruby-red colored wine that offered notes of red and black fruit, violets, balsamic and eucalyptus. On the palate this full-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of red and black fruits, with plenty of herbs and spices blending with vibrant acidity and fine tannins and ending with a long-count finish of fruit, herbs and terroir. I think this wine tasted in its youth, needs some more time to mature.
