Sassetti Livio Pertimali "La Querciolina" Montecucco Rosso DOCG 2019
(Tuscany, Italy)

About the winery:
The persuasive charm and attentive embrace of the Sassetti family lures one to the vineyards, cellar and people who have farmed some of Montalcino’s finest vineyards for over a century. Four generations of the Sassetti family have made wine in Montalcino. Livio worked the historic property through the late 1970s, then purchased the 16 hectare vineyard of the now–famous Podere Pertimali. The Podere is in the Montosoli area, north of Montalcino, a particularly well-known area for the cultivation of the Sangiovese grape. Faithful to the teachings of the family, Livio and Lorenzo have over time renewed and expanded the vineyards, preserving the genetic heritage of the old vines and preserving the primigenie characteristics.

Estate vineyards in La Querciolina, Montecucco Rosso DOC:
~100% Sangiovese Grosso della Maremma                                                                  ~Soil: Volcanic
~Vineyard Area: 12 ha/ 29.7 acres
~Vine Training System: Spurred Cordon
~Planting Density: 7000/ ha
~Vines Planted: 2000
Harvest Notes:
~Hand harvested mid-to-end-of September
~Gently crushed
~Fermented 10 – 12 days in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks 28 – 29º C
~Aged 6 months in 30hl Slavonian oak barrels
~Aged 6 months in bottle                                                                                                      ~Alcohol: 14.5%

Winemaker's Tasting Notes:
Intense aromas of blackberries, candied plum, herbs and spices. Fresh and fruity on the palate with earthy mineral notes, fine tannins and a long, silky finish.

92 Points - John Gilman, View from the Cellar (for 2018):
"The Sassetti family owns the famed Pertimali estate in Brunello di Montalcino. Today, Lorenzo Sassetti is the proprietor and winemaker for the property. The family’s Montecucco bottling is fairly new, from property that they have purchased along the coast in Maremma. The wine is composed entirely from sangiovese and is raised in large, Slavonian oak botti for six months prior to bottling. The 2018 Montecucco Rosso comes in at 14.5 percent octane and offers up a refined bouquet of cherries, roasted gamebird, cigar wrapper, a fine base of soil, just a dollop of Tuscan herb tones, brown spices and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a rock solid core of fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, ripe tannins and a long, well-balanced finish. Because these vineyards are planted on volcanic soils, the wine has a superb spine of acidity that lends backend lift and precision. Impressive juice! This needs some time in the cellar to allow its backend tannins to soften up a bit more.”

91 Points - Vinous (for 2018):
“There’s something dark, animalistic and wild about the 2018 Rosso Montecucco. It’s an intense and energetic expression, yet powerful, showing crushed blackberries and wild herbs spiked with a twang of sour citrus. The textures are silky and pliant with masses of ripe fruits and wild berries offset by penetrating minerals and brisk acids. This tapers off long and lightly structured. A total success for the vintage.”