Mastrojanni

Azienda Agricola Mastrrojanni Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy In 1975, a lawyer named Gabriele Mastrojanni bought the San Pio and Loreto estates, which are concentrated in the southeastern part of Montalcino, Castelnuovo dell’Abate. He was motivated by the land’s purity - where historically, there was little cultivation and the few people in the area raised sheep, he found nothing but sparse land up the River Orcia’s undulating valley. Abandoned estates and castles dot the region along a ancient, now disused, main road. Gabriele was entranced by the poor soils, the steep slopes and rugged vegetation. It seemed more suited to wolves and wild boar than to cultivation. For Gabriele, it was clear the land was suited to Sangiovese Grosso. With the goal of creating a fine Brunello di Montalcino to rival that of the region’s dominant pioneer, Biondi - Santi. Here, in this part of Tuscany, Sangiovese grapes benefit from a mild and dry micro-climate, influenced by the nearby mount Amiata, an extinguished volcano. Soils are rich in gravel and clay, lie on limestone-based bedrock and afford plain south/south-east exposure. This unique terroir combined with the time-tested savoir-faire of the Mastrojanni family makes very distinctive, classic and long-lived style of Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino from Castelnuovo dell’Abate. Mastrojanni represents a solid milestone in the history of Montalcino and its great Sangiovese-based wines. In 2008, yeas after Gabriele passed away, the estate was sold to the Illy family (of Italian coffee fame). The estate is still maintains the standards set forth by Gabriele Mastrojanni and even imposed more meticulous standards. For example, there are now a few vinification tanks made from oak grown in the Vosges forests in France. The estate is now certified organic. Though now run by a corporate family, the wines Mastrojanni stay true to their origins. Franceso and Riccardo Illy recognize that wine becomes good only when grown on sparse, pure soils. The less vines have to feed themselves; the better resulting fruit will be for wines. They uphold low interventionist principles, aiming to preserve the natural fruit and character of Sangiovese as it ferments and goes into barrels for maturity. They will use a combination of Slavonian or large French oak barrels, depending on the particular wine.