Fattoria La Gerla / Sergio Rossi
Standing on La Gerla's terrace, one's view sweeps over Montalcino's peaceful landscape with its hills, vineyards, slim cypresses, and estates scattered all around. Nestled in the Colli Senesi to the south of Siena, the area comprises approx. 2000 hectares (up from just sixty hectares 50 years ago!).
The area is subject to a drier climate than the Chianti region and sees larger differences in temperature between days and nights. The Monte Amiata shields the area from storms approaching from the coast. The sangiovese grosso or brunello, as it is locally known, enjoys optimum maturing conditions. This fosters the development of full-bodied and rather heavy wines full of extract.
La Gerla owns 11.5 hectares, of which 6.5 lie in the northeast, close to Canalicchio, north of the small town of Montalcino. The remaining vineyards lie in the southeast close to Castelnuovo. La Gerla's wines profit from these varied sites. Similarly to the Chianti region, the northern grounds are composed of calciferous marl and are likewise called galestro. Those in the south entail a higher proportion of clay and are partially comprised of volcanic tuff. Thus, the wines created from these differ and complement each other optimally in the finished cuvée.
La Gerla belongs to the lost of renowned and internationally acclaimed estates. Apart from the Brunello di Montalcino we recommend also the Rosso di Montalcino, which is slightly lighter and spends less time developing in the barrel, and the Birba, which ripens in the barrel for about 12 months. Both wines offer earlier drinking enjoyment in comparison to the Brunello. The single vineyard Brunello Gli Angeli is sourced from the eldest vines only in exceptional vintages and destined for long aging. Last but not least, La Gerla's olive oil and their grappa are an excellent complement to the assortment.
Red wines from Fattoria La Gerla / Sergio Rossi
Spirits from Fattoria La Gerla / Sergio Rossi
Delicatessen from Fattoria La Gerla / Sergio Rossi
from Fattoria La Gerla / Sergio Rossi
Producer
Dominio de Pingus
The first Pingus was bottled in 1995. This limited production wine from Ribera del Duero made history with a legendary rating from Robert Parker Junior (1998): "One of the greatest young red wines I have ever tasted." The vintage is also at the centre of a somewhat mythical-sounding story – the freighter carrying a quarter of the limited production sank off the Azores, with the wine ending up in Davy Jones's locker at the bottom of the sea.
Massena / Jaysen Collins
Dan Standish and Jaysen Collins were college friends, and in the late 1990s they decided to put their talents together to produce wine. Recently, Jaysen Collins has taken charge of the "Massena" project on his own.The grapes are purchased from growers in Greenock, Kalimna and Koonunga Hill in the northwest Barossa Valley.
Bodegas Campos Reales
The landscape of Meseta Central stretches out endlessly to include La Mancha, the land of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and also Spain's largest wine region.