“It is from the wise interweaving between earth and wind, water and sun, people and ideas that a unique fabric is born.”
The Cotarella brothers know a little bit about making wine. One is the lead winemaker for Antinori and oversees the creation of wines like Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso. The other is one of the most sought after consultants in Italy and his guiding hand has touched wines from Piedmont to Sicily. It should therefore come as no surprise that their family winery, for which they both collaborate, routinely produces one of the best wines in Lazio.
The Falesco winery was founded in 1979 and the brothers wanted the cellars and the vineyards to be perfect before they started producing wines under their own label. So they waited until the time was right. That discerning measure of time? 10 years!
Falesco is now approaching its 40th anniversary and today, the daughters of Renzo and Riccardo are playing a more prominent role in the winery operations as the third generation takes shape. Daughters Dominga, Marta and Enrica, are now driving the family’s philosophy. In fact, the winery has recently re-branded itself. The entry level wines are bottled under the “Falesco” name while the estate wines carry the “Famiglia Cotarella” branding. The family has also expanded its holdings with the 2017 acquisition of the Le Macioche estate in Montalcino.
Recently we pulled an aged Montiano from the cellar. Like its various vintage siblings, this is a Tre Bicchieri award winner. The 2009 Falesco Montiano is 100% Merlot. At 11 years of age, it’s still a dark purple color. We decanted the wine to remove a substantial coffee grind like sediment.
On the nose, the wine is redolent of black fruit aromas along with lavender, blue flowers, vanilla and ground coffee. In the mouth, the flavors echo the nose with a round texture that is plump but with enough acidity to keep the wine fresh. The long finish is tinged with cured meat and mint. Montiano is fermented in stainless steel and then aged for 12 months in French barrique before release. Despite its age, this has plenty of life left. Drink now or over the next 3-4 years. 93 points. Find this wine.
For Montiano data points, see these links: 2003, 2007, and 2011.
With this Lazio wine, we served a Roman staple: Carbonara! The smokey notes of the guanciale played very well against this silky Merlot.
Salute!
Nice post, John! Falesco is one of the first wines I tasted when I got interested in wine. That was long ago. Your article brings back memories. Cheers!
Very cool! It was for me too….their Vitiano which is still a good value.
John,
I hope that everything is going well for you and your family given the current circumstances..
It’s funny, I first tasted this wine not so long ago and I was surprised (not to say disappointed) that I haven’t before. Even more surprising is that it was a 2014 and actually very, very good.
I also just went back on your data points and couldn’t help but notice that it seems consistent in quality, and even price! Lazio wines are very much underepresented here and I’m starting to think it’s a shame considering what I’ve been reading from your website in the past few years. Anyhow, I will be buying future releases of Montiano for sure, so thank you and cheers!
PS. From what I see, your carbonara looks spot on!!
PS2. Amazing story/article on Tolaini the other day. I love his wines. Knowing the story behind them makes me loving them even more!
Thanks Raph, good to see you well and yes, we are hanging in down here. I don’t have any problem finding Montiano here and I seek it out often. As I’ve said, I will buy it blindly because every vintage I taste has always been good. And where am I tasting them? At Gambero Rosso! So there’s that…. Carbonara is easy but just takes a little practice to perfect. So great when made right – though if I recall, you love the broccoli rabe and sausage pasta! On Tolaini, yes….a countryman of yours and a wonderful gentlemen. Thanks for commenting and stay well.
Hi John,
Glad to see you and your family are allright.
On Montiano: what would you consider a typical drinking window for this? I just ordered 2 bottles of the 2016 and would like to know when I can drink these, as I never tried it before. For some reason, it is not that easy to source (at an acceptable price) here in Belgium.
Best regards,
It is odd, the availability. Even here I don’t understand it. They are with a very good importer but yet, I only ever see them at one retail store – the same one all the time. Now, with the 2016 this is what I’d suggest. Whenever I taste the wine (new release) at Gambero Rosso, it shows really well. Velvety fruit, very expressive. Open on the nose and palate. This is often what motivates me to buy the wine. Then, it begins shutting down. I bet the 16 is gorgeous. The 2009 is still showing well, hence this review and based on that I’d suggest you’ve got plenty of time with the 16. So, if you’re not willing to sacrifice one now, I’d let it get to at least 6-7 years old. It’ll have trimmed its baby fat by then and I’d expect it to be pretty lush. Salute!