Enzo Tiezzi Rosso di Montalcino, Poggio Cerrino | 2019

In his mid-80s, Enzo Tiezzi is the quiet godfather of Montalcino. Among his many accomplishments, his graduate thesis in the 1970s wrote the roadmap to the success of the appellation, as he made a case for Brunello's promotion to a DOCG as well as the creation of the Rosso di Montalcino DOC. Farmer, winemaker, director, and doctor are just a few of the titles he mastered before buying his very own vines in 1989. With less than 900 cases produced, Tiezzi's Rosso remains a gem of Montalcino. It's a declassified bottling each year from the Poggio Cerrino Brunello di Montalcino, produced with the very same grapes that go into the Brunello, fermented in the same way, but just aged 18 months (instead of 44 months for the Brunello) in large, old Slavonian casks. Bottled un-fined and unfiltered, this is Brunello to-the-bone with its heady red fruits, warm terra cotta spices, and long-legged tannins. A serious style of Rosso, more than a playful one, Poggio Cerrino Rosso is an excellent introduction to Tiezzi's unapologetic, old-school style. ~Allegra A