La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino 2019
We have 12 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
La Gerla's Brunello is built from two opposite ends of Montalcino. The home vineyards sit at Canalicchio, at the foot of the Montalcino hill northeast of town, around 320 meters. Here the north-facing Gli Angeli parcel carries more clay in its topsoil, and Sangiovese leans toward perfume, refinement, and silky texture. Far to the south, near Castelnuovo dell'Abate, the estate farms 5 hectares on warmer, drier, free-draining sand and galestro, where the same grape gains density and grip. Blending the two is a deliberate answer to the appellation's split personality: lift and aromatics from the north, depth and structure from the south, both in one Brunello di Montalcino red wine.
The Wine
La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino 2019 is 100% Sangiovese Grosso from both Canalicchio and Castelnuovo. The grapes are chilled for about a week before a fermentation that runs up to 15 days, a cold start that draws out color and aromatics before alcohol builds. The wine then spends three years in large casks of 50 to 100 hectoliters, racked twice a year, and another year in bottle before release. Casks that size shape texture without stamping the wine with oak. Expect black cherry, blackberry, orange peel, clove, underbrush, camphor, and licorice, with firm tannin, lively acidity, and a stony, saline finish. The 2019 season began cool and wet, leaving vines two weeks behind by late May, then turned hot and dry without extreme spikes. September showers slowed ripening and held alcohol in check.
The People
Sergio Rossi was a successful Milan advertising executive who came to Montalcino with a group of friends and stayed. In 1976 he bought the Colombaio estate at Canalicchio from the Biondi-Santi family, the name most closely tied to Brunello's origins. He restored the farmhouse, built new cellars, and renamed the property La Gerla, after the conical wooden baskets harvesters once carried on their backs. Rossi was one of the pioneers among the new investors who arrived in that era, and within a few years his bottles were selling in Italy and abroad. He died in July 2011. His wife, Donatella, continues his work with director Alberto Passeri and winemaker Vittorio Fiore, holding to the traditional, large-cask style Rossi established.
Food Pairing
This is a Brunello that wants a long dinner. Braise beef short ribs in red wine with rosemary and juniper and serve them over soft polenta; the firm tannin grips the protein and the acidity cuts the fat. Hand-rolled pici with a slow-cooked wild boar ragù is the Montalcino classic, and the wine's licorice and underbrush meet the gamey sauce head on. A bistecca alla fiorentina grilled rare over oak and finished with olive oil and coarse salt sets off the saline finish. For something simpler, try a wedge of aged Pecorino di Pienza with chestnut honey. Decant it an hour ahead and open it on a Sunday when the braise has been in the oven since noon.
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Tuscany is one of Italy’s most iconic wine regions, anchored by historic regions like Chianti and Montalcino, where Sangiovese thrives in clay-limestone soils and varying elevations. Chianti Classico produces medium-bodied, savory reds, while Montalcino’s warmer, drier conditions give rise to the powerful and long-lived Brunello. Along the Tuscan coast, regions like Bolgheri emerged in the late 20th century with the rise of Super Tuscans—often blends of international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grown in marine-influenced soils. While overwhelmingly known for red wines, Tuscany is also home to great classic whites grown in San Gimignano and modern whites often made with French grape varieties.
Italy - Tuscany
Sangiovese is Italy’s most widely planted red grape and the backbone of many of the country’s most renowned wines, including Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Its name likely derives from the Latin “sanguis Jovis,” or “blood of Jupiter,” hinting at its ancient Roman roots. While native to central Italy, particularly Tuscany, it is also grown in regions like Umbria, Emilia-Romagna, and even scattered sites abroad. Sangiovese is known for its high acidity, firm tannins, and bright red fruit character, often showing notes of sour cherry, dried herbs, and earthy spice. Its structure and versatility make it a natural match for food and a compelling lens through which to explore regional terroirs.
