Brunello di Montalcino

Le Potazzine Gorelli Brunello di Montalcino 1999, earth laden aromas with delicate black fruit, then flavors of concentrated red fruit with mineral notes and good length.

1999 Brunellos is a vintage to be taken VERY SERIOUSLY, and Wine Spectator confirmed this fact by giving the overall vintage a whopping 97 point score (Wine Spectator Rating System "95-100 = Classic") "...It's a classic vintage, rating just behind 1997, the modern era's benchmark. Americans love the pure Sangioveses from Montalcino... we pounce on great vintages, making the 1999s especially attractive... Ripe, velvety, rich and juicy. Fresh finish..." Wine Spectator 6/15/04

Proprietor Giuseppe Gorelli takes an artisan’s approach to winemaking, producing wines of flawless quality with distinctive character and personality on a very small scale. The family originally established their reputation with Brunello di Montalcino from the "Due Portine" property, which belongs to father Giancarlo; 1998 Brunello was the last bottling from that property. As the estate of Giancarlo has merged with that of son Giuseppe, all future releases will come from the family’s "Le Potazzine" vineyard, now coming into full production. The first Le Potazzine release was the 1998 Rosso di Montalcino, which was immediately awarded two glasses by the Gambero Rosso - it received two glasses for the 2000 as well. Brunello from the estate is extremely rare at present, though quantities will increase over the next few vintages; the 1997 vintage was given 96 points by Robert Parker Jr, and the 1998 vintage 92 points.

Brunello di Montalcino was the first Italian wine to be granted Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (D.O.C.G.) status by the Ministry of Agriculture. There are only 19 D.O.C.G. wines, a coveted status which limits fruit per hectare (eight tonnes), and requires at least 36 months of barrel aging and one year in the bottle. For riserva wines the bottle aging must be a minimum of two years. At its finest, Brunello di Montalcino is considered one of the world's most important wines.

Brunello is the local name for the Sangiovese grape or, more accurately, for a handful of mutants of Sangiovese. Berry and cluster sizes range from small to medium in what is ironically referred to as Sangiovese Grosso.