Tenuta Le Potazzine is an organic estate in Località Le Prata, in the hills not far south-west of the town of Montalcino in the eponymously named Tuscan region. Le Potazzine produces Brunello di Montalcino DOCG and Rosso di Montalcino DOC red wines.

Owners: Gigliola Giannetti and her daughters Viola and Sofia. Gigliola was born in Montalcino and worked for Franco Biondi Santi and knew Giulio Gambelli well. She also owns the Vineria Le Potazzine bar and eatery in Montalcino itself. The couple founded the estate in 1993 when she bought her first parcel of land. Gigliola Gorelli’s mother’s affectionate name for her grand-daughters, Viola (born 1993, the same year as the Le Prata vineyard was acquired) and Sofia (born 1996, the same year as the La Torre vineyard was acquired) was ‘potazzine’ or titmice (birds of the passerine family which are found in Tuscany), hence the name.

Giuseppe trained as an oenologist and agronomist and consults to other Montalcino estates. He has also worked as an advisor to the Montalcino consorzio. Giuseppe Gorelli’s family estate was called Due Portine Gorelli, on Via Cialdini 51-53 in Montalcino itself. It was founded in 1971 by Giuseppe’s father and made its first Brunello in 1987. Due Portine Gorelli was sold in 1999, its last vintage being 1998. Gigliola Giannetti has a shop in Montalcino called ‘Montalcino Produce’, and a restaurant called La Vineria or Vineria Le Potazzine.

Staff: Cellar manager: Roberta Tiberi. | Winery & vineyards: Luca Fabiani.

Vineyards: 10ha of land of which 5ha of vines. There are 4.3ha of Brunello and 0.3ha of Rosso. The vineyards are south of Montalcino but in two different areas.

Le Prata vineyard: Le Prata is where the winery is located. Giuseppe and Gigliola bought this in 1993. Existing vines dating from the early 1970s were grubbed up and replaced with 3.5ha of new vines, Giuseppe told me (Anteprima 2015). This vineyard, which the owners called Le Potazzine, lies at just over 500 metres. The soil is iron-rich, stony, and drains well.

La Torre vineyard: The other vineyard is at La Torre in Sant’Angelo in Colle (south of Le Prata). The couple bought the land in 1996 and planted 1.5ha of Sangiovese. The altitude here is lower than Le Prata, at 320-340 metres, and is further south, so La Torre is the first of the two vineyards to ripen.

Organics: Yes.

Red wines

Rosso di Montalcino DOC: 2011 20,000 bottles. Nice weight on nose, and deepish core, mint and black fruit (Anteprima 2013). | 2012 20,000 bottles. Fermented in a mix of steel and wood for around four weeks. 12 months in 12hl botti. Nice wild sappy ripe fruit (Anteprima 2014). | 2013 22,000 bottles. 12m in wood. Very drinkable, good restaurant wine (Anteprima 2015). | 2014 100% stainless steel. Quite simple, primary, tank (I was told it was a ‘wild’ ferment, 32ºC, 100% steel. Racked. MLF) and enjoyable (100% steel) (Anteprima 2016). | 2018 11,000 bottles

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG: 2000 Bit dry, dull chocolate, hint of texture, good but not great (Anteprima 2005). | 2008 13,000 bottles. Decent weight, bit simple, some warmth, and ripe tannins (Anteprima 2013). | 2009 L13165. 14%. Nice limpid garnet colour. Perfumed nose. Easy entry with ripe fruit, ripe tannins, balanced if still youthful wood, savoury-sweet fruit and overall clarity. Easily digestible at the Consorzio Tues 27th May 2014 with Ian d’Agata and others. | 2010 Fermented in Steel. 16,000 bottles. Ripe plum, drinkable and fluid, savoury and with perhaps a touch of dryness at the end (Anteprima 2015). | 2011 Fermented in steel. 40m in oak vats. Perfumed, delicate, nice and refreshing (Anteprima 2016). | 2012 This will ferment in wood–a new era. | 2014 Good effort, plenty of mid-palate depth to the fruit, potential to aged further, at the slightly darker end of the fruit spectrum (Anteprima 2019). | 2015 18,000 bottles.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Riserva: 2004 Debut. | 2006 Bottled. | 2011 Bottled. | 2015 Bottled.

Spirits

Grappa di Brunello

Contact

Tenuta Le Potazzine SRL

Loc. Le Prata, 262

53024 Montalcino (SI), Italy

Tel+39 0577.846168 | Website: www.lepotazzine.com

Sales: Vinexus (UK agency). Distributors: Lay & Wheeler, Goedhuis & Co., John Armit, Farr Vintners, Flint Wines.