100pts Jeb Dunnuck - #75 Top 100 Wines 2024

For lovers of this estate, you’re going to want to stop everything and go find the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Madonna Delle Grazie if you have the means. There’s simply nothing else like it, and it needs to be experienced. It pours a saturated, youthful ruby color and has an unmistakable and distinctive nose that is highly expressive, with layered aromas jumping from the glass and unfolding notes of cassis, wildflowers, orange marmalade, clove, and blackberries. (Words do this no justice.) Equally potent and layered on the palate, it continues seamlessly, with noble structure and profound concentration through a stunning and long finish that lasts for several minutes (or as long as I could give it until moving on). Remarkable and singular, it truly stands apart from the crowd, even in this phenomenal vintage, where it’s hard to do much wrong. Profound. It’s a showstopper now and will be one of the great wines of the region for decades. Drink 2028-2050.

100pts Decanter 

To arrive at Il Marroneto, an almost impossibly steep street is to be followed. The estate is on the northern flank of Montalcino, lying over a Jurassic soil; one of the oldest in Italy. In the cellar, an old botte grande is slowly gurgling, mumbling, bubbling. The fermentation here is natural, malolactic included, all in oak. Madonna delle Grazie – Brunello from a single vineyard beside the estate – rests in large oak casks for 42 months. ‘For us, the oak is conceived just to store the wine,’ says Iacopo Mori, the second generation, today in charge. This 2019 is sleek and fresh on the nose, with red currants and dark cherry, and a graceful depth of incense and smoky woodland, sweet violet, cinnamon and orange peel. Vibrancy dominates the palate, with long, fierce acidity and thick, velvety tannins leading to a sweet, persistent aftertaste.

99pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This is a racy wine with deep layers, infinite complexity and a wild, almost mischievous personality. I have noticed that other Brunellos imitate this style, but none come close to the one and only. The Il Marroneto 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie exudes immediate aromas that are vibrant, elegant and full of energy. This is a wine of light and power, and I am reminded of Spain's Comando G, especially considering its uniquely punchy quality. Sweet cranberry, coriander seed, cola, licorice and white pepper emerge with purpose. There is a hint of sweetness that feels like summer singing from the glass. The mouthfeel is very much alive with terrific freshness and fine, dusty tannins that coat the entire mouth.

99pts James Suckling

A beautiful and intense young Brunello with terrific depth, power and deep fruit notes. So much fruit and powerful tannins, yet they are velvety, caressing and glorious. It spent 42 months in large casks. A unique expression of Brunello. Super complex. Best after 2028.

99pts Vinous

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Madonna delle Grazie tempts the imagination with a dark veil of exotic florals and spices that slowly lifts to reveal dried blackberries and cherries enlivened by hints of mint and a dusting of clove. This soothes with its silken textures and ripe red berry fruits as a blend of saline minerals and fine tannins slowly collect toward the close. Structured yet incredibly long and deep, it tapers off like a black hole, inward and youthfully tense, blending sweet tannins with steeped plums and balsam herbs. The 2019 is one of the most energetic yet complex renditions of Madonna delle Grazie I have yet tasted. I could get lost for days in this wine.

Tasting Notes

This stunningly energic and complex wine offers an exotic floral nose with notes of blackberries and spice. The palate delivers ripe cherry, spice, and structure, with a lingering finish characterized by sweet and fine tannins. 

About the Winery

The legacy of Marroneto began in 1974, when Giuseppe Mori purchased a historic building north of Montalcino, dating back to 1246, originally used for chestnut drying ("marroni" in Tuscan dialect) and flour production. With his sons Andrea and Alessandro, Giuseppe planted the first 3000 meters of vineyards in 1975. In the 1990s, Alessandro Mori expanded the winery, propelling Il Marroneto into the ranks of the
top 10 historical wineries in Montalcino today. Situated at 430 meters in the province of Madonna delle Grazie, the estate benefits from cool night winds and temperature variations, creating an ideal environment for wines that are elegantly balanced,
fresh, and fruit-forward. Il Marroneto spans 8 hectares of Sangiovese planted on sandy, minerally soils (sabbione di mare). Guided by tradition and minimalism, vineyard management prioritizes quality, avoiding excessive treatments and intensive production.

“I am a vineyard worker, my efforts culminate in harvest. Grapes are the end of my work, not the beginning. In the cellar we only protect what
nature gave us, without bending it to our will.” Alessandro Mori, Owner & Winemaker

Grape Varietal: 100% Sangiovese