Uccelliera Rosso di Montalcino 2021

'Proprietor Andrea Cortonesi fashions big, full-bodied wines from his vineyards in the southern part of the Montalcino zone. He represents the finest of the artisan approach to making wines in Montalcino.' -- The Wine Advocate

We had the amazing opportunity to visit the Uccelliera estate during the 2009 harvest, and literally watched Andrea and his team bringing in and sorting handpicked grapes on the back of a pick-up truck. Located in the Montalcino zone, his vineyard was part of the Ciacci Piccolomini estate until 1986 when Andrea purchased the land from his former employers. He renovated an existing building, as well as built, with his own hands, another building on the estate, from rocks and stones he sourced from part of the land that he would ultimately make into a vineyard parcel. He is a big, larger-than-life man, with a passion for winemaking and a true lust for life. His first vintage was 1991 with the production of a mere 500 bottles! Today his full-bodied Rosso di Montalcino is a benchmark example with limited production, featuring a powerful nose, and lush, concentrated fruit; his Brunello has a cult following and big scores to match. It features gorgeous aromas of exotic spices and dark red fruits with a lush expansive palate, super concentration and a caressing, velvety texture.

The wines have quickly become cult favorites amongst the cognoscenti. Tucked away in the southeast corner of the appellation in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, the soil here is loose and stony which when coupled with a warm microclimate gives the wines of Uccelliera a rich and ripe expression, vintage after vintage. Andrea Cortonesi is tireless in his approach to winemaking, with all vineyard work done exclusively by hand