Catalogue Page - Marc de Grazia Selections

Tuscany
Gianni Brunelli, a man of many interests, established “Osteria Le Logge” in Siena (which has become one of the top restaurants
of the city). In 1987 Gianni returned to Montalcino and purchased Le Chiuse di Sotto, an estate that had belonged to his father
Dino, with two hectares of vineyards standing at 200 meters above sea level in the northern part of the area. In 1989 Sangiovese
for the production of Brunello and of Rosso started being grown again. The vines of a small plot are still the original ones
planted by Dino in 1947.
The “Podernovone” estate was subsequently purchased. The property has a magnificent view on Monte Amiata and it is endowed
with 4.5 hectares standing at 350 meters above sea level, mainly Sangiovese with a small percentage of Merlot (that goes into
the blend of the IGT/proprietary wine “Amor Costante”). The soil of Podernovone, made up of calcareous-marly schists, reflects
light and heat thus favouring the ripening of the grapes. Four different vineyards stand on this property: “Olmo”, “Oliva”,
“Quercia” and “Gelso”.
The different climate of the two properties (fresh and airy at Le Chiuse di Sotto with a lot of rain in the summer and warmer and
ventilated at Podernovone) results in complex and elegant wines, as they are made from the vineyards of both estates.
After Gianni passed away in 2008, his wife Laura, who already used to work with him at the estates and at the restaurant,
takes care of the production and of the marketing of the wines. Paolo Vagaggini, one of the major experts of Sangiovese, is
the winemaker. The vineyards are followed directly by Laura Brunelli with the supervision of an agronomist, a friend of hers.
Sustainable viticulture is pursued, no weed killers are used, grass cover is left on the aisles between the rows of vines where
vigour must be kept in check, the training system is strictly cordon spur which also makes the grape yield lower. Manual labour
reaches 500 hours a year for each hectare of vineyard. Clusters are carefully selected at harvest and placed into small crates.
The Brunello and the Brunello Riserva are classic and traditional: long maceration on the skins (20-25 days) in steel, malolactic
in steel, maturation in large 30-35 hectolitre Slavonian oak casks. These wines improve after a few years in the bottle. The Rosso
is fresh with a well preserved fruit. It is very pleasant and drinkable when young, but also after four or five years in the bottle.
Only 2,000 bottles of the IGT/proprietary wine “Amor Costante”, a blend of 20% Merlot and 80% Sangiovese, are released each
year. This is an extremely enjoyable and fresh wine with red fruit and wild berry tones.
The estate also produces an excellent olive oil.
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Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Riserva
Zone: Montalcino
Cru: Podernovone, Canalicchio
Varietal: 100% Sangiovese
Vineyard Ext.: 4.3 hectares
Average Prod.: 4,600 bottles
Rosso di Montalcino DOC
Zone: Montalcino
Cru: Podernovone, Canalicchio
Varietal: 100% Sangiovese
Average Prod.: 7,000 bottles
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Zone:
Cru:
Varietal:
Vineyard Ext.:
Average Prod.:
Montalcino
Podernovone, Canalicchio
100% Sangiovese
4.3 hectares
10,000 bottles
Type of Viticulture: Integrated / Sustainable
Toscana Rosso IGT
Amor Costante
Zone: Montalcino
Cru: Podernovone
Varietals: 80% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot
Average Prod.: 2,000 bottles