Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino 2021

Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino 2021

Ciacci Piccolominid'Aragona
$65.00

Grape: Sangiovese
Vintage: 2021
Type: Red

Sourced from south-facing slopes near Castelnuovo dell'Abate, this classic sangiovese thrives in medium-grained soils rich in Eocene marl at altitudes between 240 and 360 meters. Hand-harvested fruit ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel and glass-lined concrete vats before aging for more than 24 months in large 20 to 75-hectoliter Slavonian oak casks. The extended maturation in large neutral wood allows the Mediterranean warmth of the site to shine through while keeping oak influence backgrounded. This is a traditional, energy-driven Brunello that balances ripe southern Montalcino fruit with structural tension.

A bright ruby color with garnet reflections leads into aromas of black cherry, dried herbs, tobacco, and a lift of balsamic mint. The palate unfolds with layers of dark red plum, wild berries, and sweet earth, backed by fine-grained, persistent tannins and vibrant natural acidity. A light, chalky mineral grip lends focus to the mid-palate without feeling heavy. It closes on a long, savory finish accented by notes of bitter orange zest, dried flowers, and crushed stone.

Il Marroneto was founded in 1974 by Giuseppe Mori on the cool, steep slopes just north of Montalcino, the sector that boasts many of the region’s most elegant Brunellos.

The timing of Il Marroneto’s founding placed Giuseppe firmly in Brunello’s second wave of producers who established estates before the Brunello boom of the 1980s and 1990s. Along with Gianfranco Soldera and Cerbaiona’s Diego Molinari, these pioneers launched their estates despite the pittance that Brunello sold for at the time.

Enchanted by Montalcino’s landscape and the possibility of making great, long-lived wine from it—as pioneers like Biondi-Santi, Barbi and Il Poggione had demonstrated much earlier —they cleared the land and began planting.

The first Marroneto vines went into the ground on the estate’s steep 400-meter elevation galestro clay and sand slopes in 1975, followed by subsequent plantings in 1977, 1982 and 1983. Giuseppe's son Alessandro joined him in time for the 1980 vintage, the first to be bottled. Long before it was fashionable, Alessandro eschewed the usage of artificial fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides in his vineyards.

Father and son were aided in their early efforts by two of Montalcino’s legendary names, first Mario Cortevesio and then his best friend, Giulio Gambelli. Giuseppe was close friends with the two “Sangiovese Whisperers,” and he adopted their distinctly traditional philosophies at Il Marroneto.

By 1990, Alessandro was ready to forge his own path for the estate’s wines, but he never forgot Gambelli’s imperative to “listen to the wine.” Over the years, Alessandro has adapted his winemaking incrementally to realize each wine’s unique identity more fully.

Extended fermentations, long macerations and lengthy maturation in large format barrels are the norm at Marroneto. These hands-off methods ensure greater transparency of site and allow for excellent structure in each wine Il Marroneto produces, from its entry-level wines to its top cuvée.