This is one of the most exciting young renditions of Voliero I have ever tasted. It captivates with its precision and spry personality while holding depths of complexity in reserve. Wow.

—Eric Guido, Vinous

A few weeks ago we wrote about Ciacci Piccolomini. Ciacci, you may recall if you read the article, was a pioneer in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, a village just to the southeast of the DOCG’s traditional home in Montalcino. It’s a village with such a distinctive soil type that they had to come up with a new name for it: “Castelnuovo marl”. A river that passes through the village keeps the vineyards a touch cooler — very important for a DOCG that is constantly battling with the heat.

So it was that in this corner of the DOCG a new style of Brunello developed. Poggio di Soto is the most famous example, with Ciacci di Piccolomini not far behind. And it is here that we find Uccelleria, a winery with vineyards just uphill from Ciacci, where the salt-of-the-earth Tuscan Andrea Cortonosi produces his flagship wine.

People kept asking Andrea to sell his wine, but he just didn’t have enough to go around. Purchasing more land to add to production must have been tempting, but he was worried that this would dilute the very precise personality of Uccelliera — essentially, a polished somewhat modern take on Castelnuovo dell’Abate Brunello. So he built an entirely new winery.

That winery is Voliero, and the contrast with Uccelleria couldn’t be sharper. While Uccelleria is planted higher than Ciacci, Voliero goes even higher — another 200 meters up the hill. This makes a big difference! Voliero also benefits from the contribution of grapes from Sant’Angelo, another high altitude vineyard.

In the winery, there are few of the modern touches that you find at Uccelleria. Fermentations are long and cold. Aging is solely in giant casks.

All of this results in wines that are nervier and edgier than classic Castelnuovo, while still possessing all its elegance and refinement. There is more sour cherry here and fewer notes of dark chocolate. There is decidedly more freshness.

Note that we purchased these wines on a pre-arrival basis – securing us an especially good price — but they have now arrived at our shop. Quantities are limited:

Voliero, Brunello di Montalcino, 2019 $69.99

 

 

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