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
André Clouet / Jean François Clouet
We didn’t find the low house, dating from the 17th century, straight away, even though the village of Bouzy is not very large. Modest buildings are grouped around a courtyard, behind which a vineyard lies, similar to a clos.
Azienda Agricola Pratello
In Padenghe sul Garda, a small medieval village at the south-western end of Lake Garda, lies the traditional but also progressive Azienda Agricola Pratello.
Dirk van der Niepoort
Dirk van der Niepoort - great ambassador of the fantastic wines from the Douro Valley, is also active and creative in other Portuguese wine regions. His dream has long been to make wines in the microclimates of the Alentejo and Dãoos. The talented self-made winemaker, who likes to wear a hat, found what he was looking for and his crazy idea in these crazy times took shape in the form of Crazy Hatter wines.