Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde would have loved Brunello di Montalcino. There isn’t a wine region anywhere else in the world that encompasses so many personalities and styles, and at their best, perhaps conveys them all. Full bodied, or not, tannic, chewy, rugged, savoury, meaty, ferrous, bloody, herbs, spice and earth. Brunello’s problem is that they can be clunky, usually of large stature and with only a few of the above mentioned qualities. The problem lies in the fact a Brunello could be described as “rugged”, for example, and that’s fine, but what of the aromatics, acidity or fruit? The point I’m trying to get at is that Brunello’s are often incomplete wines, pushing a style that is too definitive. But the best wines are Jekyll and Hyde.
Altitude and Aspect
La Torre is tiny, 5.6 Ha tiny, and with some of the highest vineyards in all of Montalcino. Located near the southwestern town of Sant’ Angelo Colle. Ironically, altitude doesn’t necessarily equate to ‘cool’, and the wines of the southwest are some of the deepest in the region. The soils are clay based and stony and the vineyard is sloped, ensuring excellent drainage. Sangiovese treads a fine line, needing warm weather to ripen effectively without green or astringent tannins, but not too hot. Otherwise the wines are baked, clunky, full bodied and lacking in fruit.
High-toned aromatics
La Torre’s vineyards face southwest, benefitting from the good exposure but not suffering the severest afternoon heat. The altitude and exposure of the site has the effect of a large temperature range – hot days, cool nights and marked seasons. So not only do we have weight and power, but the high toned aromatics – flowers, herbs and spices. Vinification is essentially traditional. Grapes are destemmed, ferments are wild, and aging is in predominantly larger format Slavonian oak for the Brunello and large format French oak for the Rosso. All wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Refined wildness
Brunello certainly benefits from long aging. Fruit, tannin and acid are better integrated and the tannins in particular are absorbed, elongated along the palate and finer. La Torre’s wines are aromatic, elegant, deep and full flavoured with a grind of herb, spice, earth and meaty notes, woven into a jumble of red and dark fruits. But it’s the refined wildness of their Brunello that sets it apart and is the embodiment of Montalcino’s uniqueness. Authenticity does not need to be rustic, nor profundity smooth, but here, Jekyll and Hyde style, we have everything.
La Torre Rosso di Montalcino 2019
Beautiful aromatics of fresh cherry, blueberry, plum, sweet cranberry, violets, leather, tobacco and savoury spice. Generous, almost full bodied with a soft palate and chewy, gourmand tannins. More straight forward than the Brunello’s, the fruit is fresher. Terrific value and ever so versatile. Waters Wine Co
La Torre Brunello di Montalcino 2017
Black cherry, red cherry, plum, lavender, cassis, dried herbs, lavender wood, tobacco and leather. Sensuous and expressive, full bodied, but with a lightness of touch that makes you forget about its tannic presence. The carry is very long and here the tannins kick in – robust and burley, carried by fine acidity. Earthy elements of bay leaf, smoke, cured meat and balsamic, interwoven with the bright, piquant fruit. Classic, authoritative Brunello, with a shape and presence unique in the world of wine. What an experience. Waters Wine Co
La Torre Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2016
Discreet nose, almost closed, but with plenty of vigorous swirling, a stunning aromatic tapestry emerges. Blood plum, red cherry, blueberry, cocoa, lavender, blood orange, dried flowers, cigar, sandalwood and polished leather. Texturally complex. Sleek, puckering and tannic, and it’s this combination that sets Brunello apart from other grapes. Very fine and elemental, expansive across the palate, yet with a deep-rooted, rich tannic presence. Controlled drama, but there’s a long way to go in this act. Waters Wine Co
