Le Macioche Cotarella Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2016 Red Wine

Le Macioche Cotarella Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2016

Tuscany, Italy

94 pts. Wine Advocate

94 pts. James Suckling:

"Very pretty cherry and blackberry character with crushed stone and lavender. It’s full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Tight and minerally. Better after 2023."

FROM THE WINERY

2016 VINTAGE

The 2016 vintage began with a slightly rainy winter and a mild spring, prompting budbreak and flowering to occur earlier than usual. Verasion began as normal and while the summer months were cooler than those found in 2015, they were still considered above the seasonal average. Light rain in September and the subsequent lowering of temperatures, allowed clusters to complete their ripening in an optimal fashion enhancing Sangiovese’s freshness and providing soft, balanced tannins.

VITICULTURE AND VINIFICATION

The age and the guyot pruning method of the vines at Le Macioche are used to produce the perfect balance during the vines’ maturation cycle. Vineyards are South-South-East facing and planted an altitude of 450m, favoring an extended phenolic maturation. Soil composition is particularly rich in galestro (limestone marl) that allows for good water drainage, without depriving the vines of the necessary hydric reserves needed for balanced vine growth.

Grapes are hand harvested; each bunch is manually selected in the field. Upon entering the winery, grapes are destemmed and lightly crushed. Fermentation occurs in stainless steel and tronco-conic wooden tanks for 15-18 days at a temperature of 28° C. Punch downs are made once a day for first 10 days. After the completion of malolactic, the finished wine is aged in oval 30hl barrels for 36 months.

TASTING NOTES

Intense ruby garnet in color, this wine contains aromas of ripe red fruit, Mediterranean scrub, species and tobacco. On the palate the wine is rich, fresh and well balanced with a lengthy finish.

COMPOSITION

100% SANGIOVESE GROSSO
PRODUCTION AREA  South-East of Montalcino
SURFACE AREA OF VINEYARD  8.6 acres
ALTITUDE  450 Metres above sea level
SOIL TYPE Clay-rich with a good content of alluvial pebbles. Some blocks rich in Calcium & large rocks.
TRELLISING Spour Cordon
AVERAGE AGE OF VINES 25 years old & GUYO
HARVEST Hand harvested in 20 Kg boxes in October
FERMENTATION OVERVIEW Grapes crushed and destemmed then fermented in stainless steel & large open-top oak tanks over 14 days with regular pumpovers. ML performed in barrel and/or oak tank.
BARREL AGING 36 months in 30hl oval barrels.
ALCOHOL  14.10 %
TOTAL ACIDITY  5.90 G/L
PH  3.44