The origins of La Serena begin in 1933 when the Mantengoli family purchased the estate – all of one hectare at the time – and began producing wines mostly for local consumption. Since 1988, under the direction of Andrea Mantengoli, production has increased from 2,700 to 30,000 bottles and plantings have increased to 8 1/2 hectares. That’s still very small by some standards, but Andrea is pleased with his capacity.
Click below for a brief video overview of the La Serena Estate which is guaranteed to make your mouth water for Brunello. It’s well worth the look.
Today the estate is producing organic wines within their microclimate and in this quote Andrea reflects on the characteristics that make Sangiovese special in Montalcino: “Sangiovese grapes find here the perfect balance, it doesn’t need to be pushed, but it is very demanding to reach the perfect ripeness, it is wild but at the same time it changes a lot according to different soils. You can see easily the different morphology of the grapes within a short distance according to the nature and aspects of the land.”
This quote addresses the heart of many issues surrounding Sangiovese. The very nature of the grape is why Brunello is so different from lower versus higher altitudes, in different soils, and from different clones. This is part of the main reason for the potential “Zonazione” project that is often discussed with fervor around Montalcino. And even, to a lesser extent, it’s why Sangiovese produced in California never truly appears to be a descendant of Italy, but some form of hybridized grape. Regardless, the impact of Andrea’s words are not lost on me.
The 2006 La Serena Brunello di Montalcino is magic. The image below captures the intensity of the color better than any words I could use. Vibrant, nearly black, opaque with slow, lustrous legs. Amazing. A complex array of bottle matured aromas captivates the taster. Mulch, porcini, smoked game, terra cotta and cinnamon all provide orchestral harmony to the ripe cherry choir that dominates the aromas. On the palate, this Brunello is also a bit “wild” to my tastes. An untamed maverick with grilled meat, truffle, dried herbs and an “animale” quality that provides interest to the intense core of cherry fruit which sits nimbly but forcefully on your mid palate. Absolutely delicious with crostini lathered with duck liver mousse, this continued to be enjoyed with grilled porterhouse and basil aioli. Still a good value in Brunello as the price approximates $45. 96 points. Find this wine.
~ The color of this wine is simply amazing. In the background, the grilled bread for bruschetta before being rubbed with the mousse. ~
Salute!
Hi John,
Oooooooh, La Serena 2006…. I also absolutely ADORE this wine! I had the change of drinking this last summer and it performed just as you described.
Absolutely incredible wine. This is, to date, the second best wine I drank in my entire life, no kidding (surpassing a.o. lots of more famous and expensive brunello’s and super tuscans…). Only (barely) surpassed by Cerretalto 2004.
Astounding QPR. Sadly, I have none left and La Serena is very difficult to source here in Belgium. Glad to hear it moved you just as it moved me.
Best regards,
If it makes you feel any better, it’s not that easy to find here either. It seems to appear every 2nd or 3rd vintage in the places I frequent. Also too, it’s bounced around from importer to importer a few times and that can’t help either. What’s does a. o. mean?
Oops, I thought it stood for “among others”, but I admit I’m not a native speaker ????
Ha! You may be right. I’m certainly no barometer.
John,
La Serena continues to be a “go to” wine for me. You are spot on with the 2006. Luckily I still have 2 left (sorry Steven). I make it a habit of purchasing La Serena in every vintage. While of course it changes from vintage to vintage it is always a quality product. I continue to enjoy the 2007 and 2008s and am looking forward to the first 2010 bottle.
In Belgium it may be easy enough to purchase it direct and have it shipped.
Joe D
Joe D
Good for you, Joe! Enjoy ’em.
You are totally right: I really need to look in to a way to have ’em shipped directly.
Best regards,
La Serena 2006 is by far the cheapest wine that I have scored 96, and I doubt that in the future I will ever find a wine below 50 € scoring that high. An amazing wine : the nose is so expressive that it is almost shocking.
We are agreed and thanks for commenting! Welcome to Tuscan Vines.