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Tenute Piccini , Brunello di Montalcino Villa al Cortile 2006
Piccini began to produce and trade wine in Chianti in the late 19th century. Now into the fourth generation of family management, the company is one of the major players in contemporary Tuscan wine.
The core business still revolves very much around Chianti (Piccini bottle around 10% of the total production of the DOCG). In the UK, they are best known for their orange label Chianti, which has received numerous plaudits for its authentically Tuscan character and outstanding value for money.
The company began to diversify in the 1990s, with the acquisition of boutique estates in other strategic DOC/G areas of Tuscany. Villa al Cortile at Montalcino, acquired in 2002, is one of these.
The estate is located at an elevation of 350m on the northeast edge of the DOCG zone, in an area where the clay and limestone soils and relatively cooler climate produce very classic, refined and slow evolving Brunellos. “We do not impose a style on the wine, it is dictated by the terroir,” says Serena Graziani from Piccini.
The 2006 vintage spent a short time in Barriques but the majority of its ageing was done in traditional medium sized oak barrels which bring out the fascinating complexity of mature Sangiovese.
It is a wine with the structure and depth typical of the hot, concentrated vintage, but also a freshness in the aromas which many Brunellos from the warmer southern parts of Montalcino lack. It is without doubt Villa al Cortile’s best vintage to date.
Contact details :
tel : 0039/0577/743031
email : info@tenutepiccini.it
web : www.tenutepiccini.it
Written by Jane Hunt MW
