Date of visit: June 15, 2022
About The Producer & Our Visit To Il Marroneto
When we arrived at Il Marroneto we were greeted by Alessandro Mori who began by explaining the estate’s history. The estate dates back to the 13th century, and the cellar was originally used by the nuns of the Madonna delle Grazie convent to dry chestnuts, which would then be used to make flour for bread. The name Il Marroneto takes its name from the Italian word for chestnut, “marrone”. The two small rooms which were once used to dry chestnuts eventually became the original cellar at the Il Marroneto wine estate, and were later enlarged to make room for additional tanks and barrels.
Alessandro’s father, Giuseppe, purchased the estate in 1974 to make wines just for enjoyment, production was very small, and at the time, he didn’t have plans on producing wine commercially. Giuseppe’s two sons, Alessandro and Andrea, showed a tremendous amount of interest in the estate and winemaking at a very young age. Giuseppe was originally a lawyer from Rome, and Andrea and Alessandro both went on to become lawyers just like him. However, in 1994 Alessandro, who over the years had fallen in love with winemaking and the estate, stopped practicing law to become a winemaker full time at Il Marroneto.
Alessandro explained that his philosophy for winemaking has remained the same since day one, despite the various trends that wine has seen over his tenure as a winemaker. Alessandro believes in producing wine in a very traditional manner. All of Alessandro’s vines are registered for the production of Brunello, though a small portion of these grapes he uses to produce Rosso di Montalcino. Il Marroneto’s wines are known for being very pure expressions of the Sangiovese grape, with excellent acidity and impressive structure, allowing them to withstand extremely lengthy cellaring. In the cellars no chemicals are ever used, nor are selected yeasts, and fermentation is always done without temperature control. Wine is fermented and aged in a combination of stainless steel and large, old, Allier, French, and Slavonian wood casks. Today, Il Marroneto produces four wines; Rosso di Montalcino, Selezione Iacopo Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino, and Brunello di Montalcino Selezione Madonna delle Grazie. Selezione Iacopo Rosso di Montalcino is named after Alessandro’s son, Iacopo ( who we didn’t have a chance to meet that day) who works alongside Alessandro. Selezione Iacopo Rosso di Montalcino is made from a selection which Iacopo himself makes, hence the name. Brunello di Montalcino Selezione Madonna delle Grazie is the estate’s flagship wine, and is named after the small eleventh century church which overlooks the Il Marroneto estate.
As Alessandro showed us around, he shared with us barrel samples of Brunello di Montalcino Selezione Madonna delle Grazie from different barrels of the same vintage. Each barrel is from a selection of grapes from a different parcel. This allowed us to compare the differences in terroir. A fascinating and educational experience. Alessandro explained that the different barrels would eventually be blended to create the final wine. We also had a chance to taste Rosso di Montalcino side by side with Selezione Iacopo Rosso di Montalcino, both of which were still resting in stainless steel. Both wines were already showing beautifully and were quite different from one another. Unfortunately, we don’t have detailed tasting notes for the barrel samples that we tasted that day. Usually we try to take detailed notes of the wines we taste, but we had to taste through these samples extremely quickly and unfortunately didn’t have time to take notes.
Thank You
Thank you, Alessandro and the team at Il Marroneto for welcoming us to your incredible estate. Alessandro, we greatly appreciate you spending so much time with us, and for sharing your wines with us. Grazie mille!
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