Cerbaiona – Legendary Montalcino! Only $30

AN ASTOUNDING ROSSO!

"For most who love Brunello, the Brunellos of Diego Molinari’s Cerbaiona are among the finest examples in Montalcino. Cerbaiona is part of that exclusive group including Soldera, Salvioni and Poggio di Sotto, that changed the direction of the region, focusing on the vineyards and producing extremely traditional wines. Diego is getting up there in years and decided to sell the winery in 2015. The new owners, whom I have known for years, adore the wines of Molinari but have decided that his wines are perhaps a bit too austere and traditional. With that said, they have decided not to release a 2015 Brunello, a vintage that is considered outstanding.

For the short term, a problem existed with what to do with the 2015 Brunello and Rosso that Diego had actually harvested and made. The new owners found the wine to be too traditional for their liking, so they decided to blend in some of the 2013 Brunello, which is a wonderful wine, with the majority of the 2015 and create a Rosso VDT, Vino di Tavola. This non-vintage wine is mostly declassified 2015 Cerbaiona Brunello fruit. The wine is clearly not Brunello since it is not being released five years after harvest, it has a bit more ripe fruit and brightness than Brunello, but it is extraordinary. I have been waiting four months for this wine to arrive, and there was no wine I had on my April trip that I was more excited to receive in store than this one. I had my first few bottles while dining at Cammillo’s in Florence and my expectations were extremely high. This wine blew my high expectations out of the water. If you are a fan of great Sangiovese, you do not want to miss this bottle. We also have a minuscule allocation of the 2013 Cerbaiona Brunello." – Lance Montalto, The Wine House

Also, we are excited to invite you to a Sette Ponti Seminar Featuring a Vertical of Oreno and Additional Gems, next Tuesday, August 28.

"The nose of this wine opens with a medley of aromatics that permeate a room. Notes of ripe cherry and strawberries, hints of mint, lavender, roses and more erupt from the glass. The wine is bright but with that classic Cerbaiona earthiness and a palate that goes on for days. This is a racy little wine that is no vino di tavola. This is a serious bottle that while drinking now, will only improve for at least a decade. For those who already know and appreciate the wines of Cerbaiona, this is your new ultimate pizza wine. If you have never enjoyed a bottle of Diego Molinari’s wines, this might be your last chance to taste the wine of this legendary producer." – Lance Montalto, The Wine House

FROM THE IMPORTER

The more we taste Brunello, the more we understand the wines most deserving of our reverence are those of a handful of surviving traditionalists who continue to make such wines, and to do so at the very highest level. One of the very greatest of these is Diego Molinari’s tiny Cerbaiona estate.

Starting from Scratch

Diego was an Alitalia pilot for 25 years before retiring in the late 1970s to pursue his winemaking dreams. He and his dynamic wife, Nora, looked at several vineyards before discovering the bucolic Cerbaiona estate, located on a ridge just east of Montalcino.

When he arrived, Molinari had an abundance of enthusiasm, but needed practical knowledge. So he visited many of the region’s top estates, asking questions and trying to find his way. Diego was particularly inspired by Biondi-Santi, whose traditionally driven philosophy he was determined to follow.

Consequently, he and Nora soon set about rehabilitating Cerbaiona’s ancient farmhouse and planting a small vineyard—not surprisingly, with vine cuttings from the Biondi-Santi estate.

Though Diego was adapting his practices in both the vineyard and cellar, he was steadfast in his commitment to honor Montalcino’s winemaking traditions—based on magical old bottles he’d tasted.

Simplicity Itself

Winemaking at Cerbaiona is straightforward. The grapes are harvested by hand and pressed in a vintage wood-sided press before fermenting in cement tanks. After a period of settling, the Brunello spends 4+ years in cask and at least 6 months in bottle before release. Nothing is added (no yeasts, no enzymes) and nothing is subtracted (no fining or filtration).

With winemaking this straightforward, the explanation for Cerbaiona’s excellence must lie with Diego’s tiny 3-ha vineyard. While much is written about the difference between northern and southern Montalcino wines, Cerbaiona lies in an intermediate zone. Consequently, the vineyard yields beautiful fruit which balances the south’s ripeness with the freshness and structure of the north.

Of course, none of this would matter without a forceful mind to guide the process. Diego’s careful, organic husbandry of his vineyard, his short-pruning for low yields, and his courage to let the wine express Montalcino’s evocative character without cosmetics are integral to Cerbaiona’s greatness