Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino 2012
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Robert
Parker - Decanter
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Wine
Enthusiast -
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Spectator
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Winemaker Notes
Sangiovese’s high natural acidity and complex tannic structure make it an admirable ally to a range of hearty meat or game dishes. Go the traditional route with braised short ribs or Osso Bucco, but don’t be hesitant. Brunello benefits from a straightforward pairing, no artifice – as the Tuscans prefer. Bean and kale soup, papparedelle, or an aged pecorino, are resoundingly local choices.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made strictly according to the Sangiovese playbook, the Il Marroneto 2012 Brunello di Montalcino shows that exacting Sangiovese precision and personality. This is Alessandro Mori's greatest talent. He takes this workhorse grape and gives it a platform to articulate its most hidden and intricate inner feelings and sentiments. This is a bright and very tight red wine that will benefit from more years to flesh out further. All those budding aromas of wild berry, licorice, cola, and blue flower are strategically in place and ready to explode in time. The wine opens to a luminous dark ruby color and a compact mouthfeel that is spicy and fresh on the close. This is an impressive annata wine that shows the personal evolution of a man and his estate.
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Decanter
Hot and very dry, 2012 was a vintage where location was key - and Il Marroneto's vines are situated in one of the coolest parts of Montalcino. This has a balsamic nose with tobacco and cherry, youthful in both aroma and flavour. Fine, slightly grippy tannins frame tangy cherry, dark chocolate and wood, leading to a long balsamic finish with juicy, stony acidity.
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Wine Enthusiast
Forest floor, wild berry, new leather and balsam are some of the aromas you'll find in this bright, linear red. On the palate, firm, polished tannins support ripe red cherry, white pepper, andcrushed mint notes with a hint of black tea. It's still young and tightly wound but already boasts stunning elegance. Drink 2020–2032. Cellar Selection
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Wine Spectator
This offers a mix of strawberry and cherry fruit that is very pure, married to an elegant frame. Beautifully balanced, with refined tannins and a mineral, tobacco, and spice tinged aftertaste. Best from 2020 through 2032.
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Amongst the wines of Brunello di Montalcino, no two wines are ever created alike. It is true that much diversity can be found in the appellation thanks to climate, soil, varying altitude and expositions. Brunello, in general, is often rendered as powerful, even virile, in terms of its fruit, tannins and concentration. But this presents an incomplete assessment. In the northern reaches of the appellation, however, precisely the location of Il Marroneto, these convenient descriptors fall aside, privileging the unique microclimate of the area that promotes complexity, elegance, aromatics and freshness. For all their fanfare and sheer precision, the wines of Il Marroneto present a strong case for production zone districts within Montalcino. Historically speaking, Il Marroneto is one of the few older estates in Montalcino having been established in 1974 by Giuseppe Mori. Il Marroneto takes its name from an old tower dating back to the 13th century where the nuns (that lived in the Madonna delle Grazie convent) kept the chestnuts used to make flour for bread. Mori’s sons Alessandro and Andrea, busy with their occupations as lawyers – having followed in their father’s footsteps – showed great interest in winemaking, however. In 1980, the first vintage was made by the brothers’ hands in two small rooms at Il Marroneto. Alessandro was hooked. He would continue on as winemaker, turning his passion for Brunello and the estate into a philosophy of life. To get to the heart of Il Marroneto, the vineyards must be considered together with its winemaker, Alessandro Mori, an artisan in his own right. The estate’s 5.8 hectares have been planted in stages: The first 10% in 1975, an additional 10% in 1977, and the rest in the winter between 1982-1983. Elevation of the vineyard sits at 400 meters above sea level, and soils are an intricate mix of mostly sand large stone of limestone and galestro. Vines are planted with ample spacing in mind so that Sangiovese thrives in nutrient-rich topsoil that encourages good rooting. Here in the north, cooler weather turns out more distinctive Brunellos of precision, elegance and aromatics. Creating some of the most elegant and long-lived Brunellos in the appellation, Alessandro Mori veers strictly to the traditionalist canon of Brunello producers. Mori’s practice of minimal intervention in the vineyard, eschewing the use of chemicals, allowing only native yeast ferments, and traditional cask ageing in the cellar are principles of his philosophy that underscore his mission to create wines “derived strictly from nature.” Mori’s insistence on transparency at each step of the winemaking process is only matched by his no-nonsense approach in creating singular Brunellos that demonstrate their sense of place.