Description
Pietranera Brunello di Montalcino
Between Pietranera and Tenuta Friggiali, the Pelusi Centolani family controls some 200 hectares of land in Montalcino, which includes vineyards, olive groves, and woodland. The family originally purchased the Pietranera property, then just 10 hectares as a hunting retreat; over the years, they’ve made huge investments in vineyards and winery facilities, growing the property into one of Montalcino’s largest.
This wine is 100% Sangiovese from high-altitude vines averaging 15 years of age is fermented in stainless steel and subjected to a lengthy (30-day!) maceration on the skins before being transferred to oak barrels. As required by law, it is not released until the beginning of the fifth year after the vintage year. It spent more than two years aging in Slavonian oak casks, followed by six months in stainless steel and 12 months in bottle.
Deep garnet-red in the glass, this classically structured Brunello is dark and brooding, with a mix of saturated black cherry fruit combined with lots of underbrush and tobacco notes. Full-bodied and powerfully structured, it is a decidedly savory red, great for a Tuscan-style bistecca given a good char on the grill. The wine is built to age for 20 years but will unleash an array of dark berry fruit and forest-floor smoke after an hour in a decanter.
