On the Road with the Grape Guy

Le Potazzine Visit : An Eye-Opening Surprise

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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

(September 2021) … Another of those “last minute” editions to my travels, but what a find. Not only a wonderful story to tell but they may have poured me my favorite wine of the trip. Let's dive in and learn a little more about this young winery that's doing things the right way when it comes to Brunello.

The winery is owned by Gigliola, and her two daughters Viola and Sofia work by her side. The winery’s name comes from a word Gigliola's mother used to call her granddaughters “potazzine” meaning chickadee in a Montalcino dialect.

The winery vineyards make up a total of 5.5 hectares of land: three on the property, two in Sant'Angelo in Colle, and the final half hectare is located 100m away from the winery; and the home vineyard site rests at 510m above sea level - one of the highest in Montalcino. They produce a miniscule 30,000 bottles of quality wines.

There is always a gentle wind blowing through the vineyard at this higher elevation, or so I am told, and that helps dry out the bunches and create better harvesting conditions, plus fresher wines. The winery was established in 1993 with their first vintage being in 1997... And the entire whole was planted with Sangiovese, is picked all by hand, and the entire harvest process is finished in about a week.

Gigliola proved to be quite the entrepreneur. At age 19 she started in the offices of Biondi-Santi (this will prove to be important as we shall find out later) ... In 1987 she opened the first wine shop in Montalcino and in 2000 (after she started the winery) she opened a restaurant (I guess she wasn't busy enough).

In the winery the grapes are all hand sorted and fermentation happens using wild yeast, and both barrels AND tanks as vessels to ferment in. As with any quality producer, this winery claims 90% of the work is done in the vineyard, so that when harvest is complete there is limited interference during winemaking process. The winery also prides itself on its use of no barrique (barrels) or French wood ... It's all Slavonian oak, large cask barrels, and all by the same Cooper: Garbellotto.

Now ... A quick note about “Riserva” wines. As mentioned Gigliola worked for Biondi-Santi , and their philosophy of “riserva" wines must have made an impression: Riserva is not for every year, and should only be made in special vintages, not just great vintages – Le Potazzine is looking for a “different expression” and then only 3,000 bottles will be made (and 500 magnums). Using this philosophy of reserve wines, Le Potazzine have made “Riserva” wines in 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2015.

They export to 26 countries with top markets being the United States, the United Kingdom, and Asia ... And finally, half of the production of this winery is in Brunello wines.

The Wines ...

2019 Potazzine Sangiovese
This no oak Sangiovese is a very fresh and fruit-forward with the red fruit showing on its sleeve in the form of cherry with a little floral backing - the acidity is totally on point making this a delightful everyday drinker ... Which will have the added benefit of making everyday seem a little more special ... It's just that good.  (****)

2019 Rosso di Montalcino
With 10 to 11 months of aging this wine retains its lively freshness and fruity nature. There's a slightly smoky note with good acidity plus cherry, strawberry and raspberry fruit at its core all wrapped up with a medium length finish.  (****)

2016 Brunello di Montalcino
This wine just shows both a feminine and masculine side ... Which is a feat unto itself. It's well-rounded and full-bodied while still puffing out its chest and being bold and brazen. Lots of red fruit: currants and cherries with a slightly smoky elegance and floral charisma ... There's also some subtle rhubarb, brash tannins and yet also shows an earthy side - yet nothing overpowers, nothing overwhelms, everything has its place and is in its place. It has time on its side yet can easily find its way into a glass now. Absolutely lovely.  (**** ½)

2015 Brunello di Montalcino
A very fruit forward wine with both red and black fruit on the nose - there's a powerful edge with mocha, black cherry, earthy, smoky and even some ballsy tannins. It's a deep, rich wine that seems almost out of place amongst the more elegant styles I tasted from this winery - sure there is a potential for elegance here in a few years, but at this time...  (*** ½+)

2014 Brunello di Montalcino
At less than stellar vintage, yet the wine has an elegance to it, though it is beginning to show its age. Earthy notes dominate with fruit leathers taking a backseat plus notes of graphite, cedar and even some floral dominating. Also look for hints of balsamic on the mid-palate to the finish.  (*** ½)

2011 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
First things first, this is a thinking man's (woman's) Brunello. It's fresh and elegant with a style all its own. Floral and red fruit lead things off with subtle notes of earthy, black and sour cherry, raspberry, strawberry, cocoa / mocha with good acid backbone and seemingly chalky tannins that turn silky on the finish. It's not powerful, but it's no shrinking violet either - it's a wine in its own class: very well made, very well balanced, pretty yet with so much more to offer - it's layered, it's lovely and it's a bottle I'd want on my table every night (if I could).  (**** ½+)

Visit to Fattoria dei Barbi

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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

(September 2021) ... Barbi is a winery with a rich history, but also a strange history. They were established in 1790 and were the first in Montalcino to accept visitors, so hospitality runs deep in the family. The family Colombini (owners of Barbi) owned vineyards in the area dating back to 1352 - but in 1790 they bought the land that the current winery sits on.

The Colombini family made their money the old-fashioned way, through banking and mercantile; back then (as now) land was a status symbol, and so that is what they purchased it for - it was 60 to 80 hectares of vineyards and they expanded their holdings through the generations to the 400 hectares they have today.

So we have mentioned the name of the family that owns the winery, Colombini, yet the winery is named “Fattoria dei Barbi” - the naming of the winery has two origin stories: one, either an ancient family name of people who lived on or near the land where the winery sits - or better yet, and the more appealing of the two stories: while planting the vineyard, fossils of a local monkfish were found, the fish was known to have a mustache (or beard) and was locally known as "barbas" ... So, the winery is either named after someone long dead and forgotten, or a fossilized fish, take your pick.

Back to the Columbini's for another moment: in 1999 the vineyards were divided between the two children. The son, Stefano, received the brand and 2/3 of the vineyards; his sister Donatella, received 1/3 of the vineyards and started her own label: Donatella Colombini-Cinelli (mother was a Colombini - while dad was a Cinelli).

As with most Italian wine families, they started out as bulk sellers of wine and no one knows for certain when they started bottling the wines instead, but the earliest bottle anyone could find dates back to 1892 ... They began exporting wines to the US in 1969 and their restaurant / taverna (another side of their hospitality legacy) dates back to the '60s.

The Wines...

2018 Brusco dei Barbi
This no oak Sangiovese (90%) & Merlot (10%) wine is sourced from young vines (5 to 15 years old) and is named for a bandit that lived on the property. This is a fresh-ish wine with good acidity and structure and plays well with food. Meant to be drank young.  (*** ½)

2019 Morellino di Scansano
This 60,000 to 80,000 bottle production Sangiovese (85%) and Merlot (15%) spends 4 months in large oak casks ... Plenty of black cherry fruit and has really good acid punch with a smoky character on the finish. On the palate it's round and supple with really pretty fruit characteristics, it's fruit-forward and easy to drink with subtle spice on the finish.  (*** ½+)

2019 Rosso di Montalcino (DOC)
Fruit taken from vineyards aged 8 to 12 years while the wine is age 6 months in larger oak barrels ... Simply put this wine has a really nice acid/spice combination; but digging deeper finds spiced-plum, spiced-cherry, spice-strawberry plus floral and balsamic notes. Good structure, good balance and well-made. Production ranges from 40,000 to 80,000 bottles.  (****)

2016 Brunello di Montalcino
As per the rules this is 100% Sangiovese ... It has an herbal quality yet supple note with a really nice smoothness. Plenty of red berry fruit with a blackberry backing - and as with a few of the previous Barbi wines, a lovely spiciness with good acidity to carry the wine through to the finish. Gets better with each sip and the oak integration here really is on-point. They make a 180,000 to 210,000 bottles annually.  (****)

2016 Brunello di Montalcino - Vigna del Fiore
The first vintage of this single vineyard offering was in 1981 - it's a southeast facing vineyard that sits at 250 meters above sea level and the oldest vines within the vineyard are between 20 to 25 years old. The wine spends one year in older barriques of three to five years of age; then another two years in 500-liter Slavonian oak (aka tonneau) ... Only 5,000 bottles are produced - so quite a small lot. Nice concentration and depth, yet subtle in so many ways ... Red fruit: cherry, red currant, strawberries and that oak is hidden so well behind a wall of spice and red fruit; there's even a floral aspect to this wine. It totally delivers on what single vineyard wines should be.  (**** ½)

2015 Brunello de Montalcino Riserva
This wine spends 3 years in oak and is a selection of the best grapes from the oldest vineyards; it is only made in selected years (in recent memory there was no Riserva made in 2009/2002/2014). It's earthy and seemingly lean but with smoky notes, juicy red fruit, dried cherry, fig, balsamic and a big tannin bite. Quite the revelation as there is just great balance in this wine - nothing overwhelms or under delivers ... though it does need time to fully integrate and open.  (****+)