The Tornesi winery in Montalcino, Tuscany, does one thing—Sangiovese—and does it very, very well. From just five hectares of organically farmed vineyards, they produce stellar Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino and, from their younger plantings, today’s un-oaked expression of pure Sangiovese joy.
This bright and brambly red is not the kind of wine that gets 100 points from critics, but a more perfect ‘table wine’ you will not find. In fact, if wines were rated based solely on the enjoyment they provided (versus the intricacies of their construction), Tornesi’s “Il Canto del Cucolo” would undoubtedly be a 100-pointer. Over the course of about a year, we’ve tasted our way through Tornesi’s lineup in what might be called “reverse” order: We were infatuated with their Brunello di Montalcino, fell in love with their Rosso di Montalcino, then this wine comes along—the least-expensive one in the bunch, essentially a bottling of whatever didn’t make it into the other two—and, well, I’m ready to get married! As far as I’m concerned, it’s a perfect wine—a perfect evocation of both grape and place, perfectly proportioned, perfect for what I hope, sometime soon, will be a crowded dinner table full of friends and family. An actual Summer in Tuscany is probably not in the cards, but a few bottles of this with some steaks on the grill will get you mighty close—trust me, this is the ‘house red’ of the moment.
It also happens to be a true “farm-to-table” wine, which makes its bargain price point even more unbelievable. The Tornesi family has been rooted in the same spot—a località just outside Montalcino’s fortress-like walls called “Le Benducce”—since 1750. Their 1.2-hectare estate vineyard at Le Benducce is the foundation, and at 500 meters, is one of the highest-elevation vineyard sites in the entire Montalcino DOCG. The Tornesis were founding members of the Brunello di Montalcino consorzio (producers’ association) when the appellation was created in 1967, although the family didn’t begin bottling wines under their own label until 1993, when Maurizio Tornesi took the reins from his father, Gino. They hand-farm a total of just five hectares in four locations throughout Montalcino, with what they call “passion and obstinacy.”
The program is straightforward and resolutely traditional at Tornesi: They only grow Sangiovese grapes (and olives for oil) in the marl and sandstone soils typical of the zone, producing Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, and today’s young-vine Sangiovese aged only in steel. Although not certified, their farming is organic in practice: they use only natural fertilizers and eschew chemical pesticides. In the cellar, they fall squarely in the “traditionalist” camp, with consultation provided by enologist Paolo Vagaggini.
The 2016 “Il Canto del Cucolo” (“song of the cuckoo”—even the name is great) is the ultimate in vibrant, fresh Montalcino Sangiovese. There’s no oak, no gimmicks, and no need for either: The wine is varietally spot-on, sneakily substantial, and impeccably balances fruit and earth on a wave of freshness. In the glass, it’s a bright ruby-garnet moving to pink at the rim, with a sappy core of black cherry fruit supplemented by black and red currant, cranberry, orange peel, violets, wild herbs, underbrush, and a whiff of smoke. Medium-bodied and thrumming with energy, it’s a lip-smacking refresher that also takes you someplace—the kind of effortlessly delicious red you’d be snapping photos of if you had it in a trattoria somewhere in Tuscany. To re-create that experience, get the bottle(s) down to about 55-60 degrees (cellar temperature), pull the cork(s) about 15 minutes before serving with a grigliata mista (mixed grill) of burgers, steaks, sausages, etc. And some vegetables, too! Cheers!
