Cerbaia Rosso di Montalcino 2017

Cerbaia is a tiny estate, just 12 acres. The vines were planted in the ’70s on northeast facing parcels, rooted in the famous Montosoli calcareous soil. Elena Pellagrini’s time at the estate just started in 2013. Her dad farmed the vines and made the wine for the 35 years prior but Elena is determined to raise the bar her father set. She told me that the farming hasn’t really changed at all; they’ve always worked without chemicals. But the yield is lower and the winemaking, while traditional in technique, is spotlessly clean with modern equipment.

2017 is an expressive, flashy vintage for all wines in Montalcino; few deliver such value as Elena’s Rosso di Montalcino. Her Rosso comes completely from Brunello vines, just picked a little earlier and aged a lot less. Her Rosso is juicy, yet fine Sangiovese with the lifted aromatic profile only possible when sourced from high elevation vineyards rooted in mineral soil. Elena’s 2017 Rosso is wildly aromatic, with bright red berries in the mouth with just the right amount of Tuscan rusticity. Just spectacular fruit makes this Rosso hard to resist young but it will definitely improve in a proper cellar for 5-7 years.