2016 Voliero Brunello di Montalcino

JD95 The 2016 Brunello was aged for 30 months in Slavonian and French oak barrels. Perfumed and lifted with fresh raspberry fruit, roses, sweet herbs, and dusty earth, with a delicate concentration of color, the palate is medium-bodied, with refined tannins and notes of fresh red cherry, orange zest, and clove. This is a beautifully elegant expression and lovely work by Andrea Cortonesi that I look forward to revisiting over the next 15 years. 
WA94 The Voliero 2016 Brunello di Montalcino opens to rich, fruity fiber with aromas of dark fruit, blackberry preserves, red brick and scorched earth. This is a saturated and accessible expression from Montalcino to enjoy in the near or medium term with a nice steak and grilled Porcini mushrooms. The grapes are fermented in steel with indigenous yeast and aged in Slovenian oak.  
JS94 Aromas of flowers, plums, cedar and violets follow through to a full body with firm, silky tannins that show plush fruit that’s pure and focused. Hints of orange peel, too. Fresh. Persistent at the end. Drink after 2023. 

From the founder, proprietor, vigneron and winemaker for the Uccelliera estate, he was also famous for running his own restaurant in Siena called Il Casato. It was at Il Casato where the Voliero label was born.  A friend of his in Montalcino offered him grapes from his vineyard in the Canalicchio cru in northern Montalcino to make a wine just for the restaurant. There is never never enough Uccelliera wines to go around, so he ran with the idea to produce a second label.