Le Potazzine

After working for Francesco Biondi Santi in the late 1980’s, Gigliola Giannetti purchased a small parcel of land at 530m alti- tude in the upper reaches of Montalcino, quite close to the township itself. Historically not a favoured area for growing Brunel- lo, Gigliola’s vineyard is now the envy of the area thanks to its temperate microclimate and the enormous nature of the diurnal shifts during the ripening period. Harvest here happens up to three weeks after the lower parts of Montalcino, meaning even in the warmest vintages the fruit is still filled with juicy acidity and the resulting wines are immensely refreshing. In the cellar, Gigliola works closely with her daughters Viola and Sofia to nurture the native ferments and macerations, often for 45 days, and gently rack the wines into large 30-50 hectolitre Slavonian casks. After ageing well beyond the minimum requirements of their respective appellations (the IGT could be labelled Rosso di Montalcino, the Rosso could be Brunello, and the Brunello could be Riserva in every vintage), the wines are simply bottled with small sulfur additions without fining or filtration. They are all certified BIO organic, even if not noted on the labels.

“Despite its short history, Le Potazzine is universally regarded as one of Montalcino’s top dozen or so wineries. The estate is known for remarkably refined Brunellos that speak of vintage, place and grape variety with utmost precision” – IAN D’AGATA

“This continues to be one of Montalcino’s top producers year after year. The epitome of translucence and finesse in Montal- cino Sangiovese” – ANTONIO GALLONI

“Le Potazzine’s Gorelli always delivers a delicate touch with its territory-inspired wines” – MONICA LARNER