TNR: 2015 Cerbaiona Rosso di Montalcino

After all of the talk of the NV blend with 2015 in it, now I see an offer for 2015 Cerbaiona Rosso di Montalcino. So, has anyone had this? It seems like a buy at $60, but since the estate was sold soon after the 2015 harvest, and the new owners apparently don’t like traditional Brunello, I wonder what happened with elevage.

I found this on the website of german retailer 50 second finish:

„2015: An Exceptional Year but only a Rosso di Montalcino for Cerbaiona.

January 2020 brings the release of the 2015 Cerbaiona Rosso di Montalcino, a wine with a particular story because it represents a blend of 20% 2015 Rosso di Montalcino and 80% atto a divenire Brunello di Montalcino, the latter which I voluntarily declassified to 2015 Rosso di Montalcino, making one wine out of the two – and producing no 2015 Brunello in Montalcino.

By all counts, 2015 was an exceptional – even extraordinary – growing season for Sangiovese. While extremely warm at several points during the summer months, short rains and drops in temperature arrived as if on cue. Grapes followed a stable path to full maturity and harvest began at the end of September with fruit in visibly perfect condition, free of any rotting or mould, and the grapes seeds and stems perfectly mature as well. Grapes bunches were smaller than normal, leading to intensely flavoured berries. A grower could hardly ask for more.

So the choice not to produce a Cerbaiona Brunello di Montalcino would seem perplexing, if not outright contradictory. In fact, while the casks of 2015 Rosso di Montalcino and 2015 Brunello di Montalcino were ageing in the cellars at Cerbaiona, I had little doubt that the estate, under my complete charge, would eventually bottle two separate wines.

Yet as those wines developed and showed the beauty of an exceptional vintage, by early 2018, I was two and-a-half years into a rebuild and reset of Cerbaiona. As new owners of the property, we had concluded the purchase the estate just two weeks after the 2015 wines had finished fermentation, the last harvest under the direction of Diego Molinari, the prior owner.

The period that followed our new ownership, more than I had previously imagined, required a new approach – including the rebuilding of the cellar, a complete overhaul of all the cooperage and cellar equipment, not to mention new plantings and vineyard restructuring. More significantly, I began to evaluate the prior conditions and methods at Cerbaiona through the eyes of a critical craftsman. While I was able to put the 2015s in clean cooperage and provide better cellar hygiene, what I could not do was peal back the layers that had already become part of the wines before I inherited them.

I could set in place better work conditions and methods, but with the 2015s, it was as if I were looking at a precocious pianist or gifted, young athlete. The innate ability and characteristics of the place were there, but a firm hand needed to be put in place. I needed to tell my charge – Cerbaiona – that no matter what praise and accolades it had received – it needed to take a hard look at itself, work harder, question itself more, and determine its approach.

So the 2015 Cerbaiona Rosso di Montalcino – and renouncing the production of its Brunello label for 2015 – came to symbolise Cerbaiona’s approach towards its future: The custodians of a privileged vineyard site and historic estate must have the courage to question both themselves and their predecessors; to not rest on the estate’s past laurels; to study and work; and to carry forth a vision so that Cerbaiona reaches its full potential.

2015 Cerbaiona Rosso di Montalcino

11,333 bottles produced.
Bottled: June 2018.
Closure: Mureddu Grand Cru IGEA, Natural Cork; Size 26D – 54L.
Capsule: Soft Wax.
N.B. The 2015 Cerbaiona Rosso di Montalcino releases after the 2016 and 2017 Rosso di Montalcino. Both of the latter carry the black label. The 2015 is the first Cerbaiona Rosso di Montalcino to carry the white label.
Aged 24 months in 20HL, 17HL, and 10HL Slavonian oak casks.
Aged 20 months in bottle at 17°C, prior to release.
Technical Data:

14.30% Alc by Volume
29 g/l Dry Extract
0.6 g/l Residual Sugar
5.5 g/l Total Acidity
0.54 g/l Volatile Acidity
22 mg/l Free Sulfites
79 mg/l Total Sulfites“
Matthew Fioretti – Managing Partner & Technical Director Cerbaiona

Cerbaiona Srl Società Agricola di Gary Rieschel, Matthew Fioretti & Co | loc. Cerbaia, 146 | 53024 Montalcino | Italy

Thank you. Very helpful. Especially with the inclusion of the technical data. I wonder how the volatile acidity compares to prior vintages? Also the reference to “clean cooperage” suggests less brett, albeit that is not a complete solution to excess brett.

What I really wonder is if “clean cooperage” means new oak. It doesn’t necessarily, but that would sort of make sense (and not be what I want). Thank you so much for posting that, though. It’s far more than I knew about the wine to begin with, and corrects some misinformation in the offer I saw today (that the wine was all “declassified Brunello”).

I have just popped one to try it out.some of you
Were concerned abort wood.To me it’s very traditional, i’am not getting any oak.there is good acid fairly soft tannins and a little bit sweet fruit.no harm trying one now but i Think it Will last long in the celler. [cheers.gif]

Worth $60? Your description sounds like it describes a lot of Tuscan wines equally at half the price.

Something went wrong with the text sorry

I am curious about what the contents of the “1/18” and “6/18” bottling of NV Carbaiona Rosso released last year were.

Thanks, Michael!

Hey guys
I just opend another Cerbaiona Rosso 2015
Wow this is good, still a good structure to it, but With fine grain tannins and lovely deep fruit.
This is going to be a killer Wine in 8-10year
from now. [cheers.gif]