Le Potazzine
The Le Potazzine vineyards are blessed with well-drained, crumbly soils streaked with limestone and clay, and a patchwork of microclimates defined by warm days, cool nights, and mild summers and autumns.
As one of the world’s most compelling wines, Brunello di Montalcino captures Sangiovese’s complexity with poise and precision—and Le Potazzine does just that. These wines carry the hallmarks of lightness, elegance, and a touch of salinity. All the sour cherry, raspberry, and wild strawberry fruit, alongside forest floor and tilled earth, are present—yet there’s something more. Not bulky or brooding, they possess an ethereal quality, brimming with purity and finesse. It likely has much to do with the vineyard’s altitude and Gigliola’s decision to plant in the upper reaches of Montalcino.
In the late 1980s, Gigliola Giannetti purchased land at 530 meters near the township of Montalcino. By 1997, she’d replanted the vineyard and released her first Brunello, establishing Le Potazzine’s reputation.
Though once considered a less desirable zone for Brunello, Gigliola’s site is now the envy of the region, thanks to its temperate microclimate and dramatic diurnal swings. Harvest takes place about three weeks after the lower parts of Montalcino, ensuring freshness and acidity even in the warmest years.
In the cellar, Gigliola is joined by her daughters, Viola and Sofia. They guide fermentations using ambient yeasts and long macerations—up to 45 days—in stainless steel and conical wooden vats, before ageing the wines in large Slavonian casks (30–50hL). The wines mature well beyond appellation requirements: the IGT could be a Rosso, the Rosso a Brunello, and the Brunello a Riserva. Bottled with minimal sulfur and no fining or filtration, they are also certified organic, though not noted on the labels.
Vintage Reports:
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2024 in Montalcino was a year of extremes that demanded constant attention in the vineyard. Vigorous vines carried an unusually heavy crop after the losses of 2023, yet nature tested every assumption: intense summer heat slowed ripening, while sudden September rains caused berries to swell and diluted sugar levels. At Le Potazzine, careful thinning, selective picking, and patience in timing harvest allowed the fruit to reach balance. The result is Sangiovese of striking clarity — fresh, aromatic, and precise — with moderate alcohol, taut structure, and lively acidity. Rosso and Brunello alike reflect both the challenge and opportunity of the season, revealing elegance and energy that will reward careful cellaring.
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2023 in Montalcino was a vintage that rewarded careful attention and timing in the vineyard. After a variable spring with generous rainfall that tested canopy and disease management, vines carried healthy fruit into summer, where warm, dry conditions encouraged even ripening. Growers responded with selective vineyard work and multiple passes at harvest, ensuring grapes reached ideal balance despite the season’s shifts. The resulting Sangiovese shows vibrant fruit expression, fresh acidity and structural clarity that speak of Montalcino’s unique terroir. Rosso di Montalcino from this year is bright and approachable, with juicy red berry notes and refined tannins, while Brunello reveals depth and poise. 2023 will be remembered as a year of energy, finesse and expressive regional character.
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By contrast, Italy and major parts of Europe experienced a historical drought like never before in 2022. This vintage will go down as one that put the skills of producers to the test. To Gigliola’s credit for her astuteness to plant vines where no one would go and great fortune, the large diurnal temperature ranges that characterise her high-altitude vineyards gave the vines relief while the little moisture there was condensed on the canopy, providing them some kind of hydration. In the same vein, cooler temperatures at harvest produced lower than dreaded alcohol levels, resulting in generous Rosso di Montalcino and other Sangiovese wines that year.
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The beginning of the year saw rain and mild winter conditions lead to early budding. An unprecedented drop in temperatures around mid-April resulted in freezing nights. Thanks to adequate ventilation typical of their high altitude, Le Pottazine vineyards weren’t affected by extreme temperatures. Summer was dry and punctuated by opportune mid-August rains that created the perfect microclimatic conditions throughout September, allowing the grapes to reach perfect phenolic ripeness by harvest.
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The 2020 growing season in Montalcino began with a wet and cold winter, followed by a rainy spring. This led to a late budburst and increased risk of fungal diseases, such as peronospora. However, well-timed rains in April and May provided necessary water reserves, and the dry summer that followed allowed the vines to recover and ripen optimally. September's warm days and cool nights contributed to perfect phenolic ripeness, resulting in wines with excellent acidity, fresh fruit expression, and good structure.
Le Potazzine, known for its commitment to organic farming and traditional winemaking, faced the challenges of the 2020 growing season with resilience. The estate's vineyards, benefiting from their altitude and well-draining soils, were managed with meticulous care to mitigate the effects of the early spring rains. Despite a smaller harvest, the quality of the fruit was high, allowing the winery to produce wines that reflect the elegance and purity of Sangiovese. Their approach to spontaneous fermentation and extended aging in Slavonian oak barrels aligns with their philosophy of minimal intervention, resulting in wines that are both expressive and refined.
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The Montalcino consortium reported the highest production of the previous five years in 2019. Many producers attributed the bounty to vines bouncing back from heat and drought stress from previous years. Overall, most producers welcomed this with open arms, as it allowed them more freedom in the cellar, working with fully mature, thick skinned grapes and ripe stems, which resulted in wines offering immense pleasure, ripeness without excess and richness balanced with freshness. The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino bottlings are strikingly elegant, poised, and they show their power stealthily.
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2018 started off with a mild winter, which is consistent with former years’ trends. Spring saw some snow and regular rains, followed by more rainy days in August. This prompted extra meticulous work in the form of some leaf removal. Combined with the windy conditions known to the high-altitude location, disease pressure was kept under control and bunches remained healthy. September brought moderate diurnal shifts, resulting in optimum phenolic ripeness.
2024 Toscana IGT
Le Potazzine’s 2024 Toscana IGT is the estate’s youngest wine, crafted from high-altitude Sangiovese vineyards (400–500m) and reflecting the purest expression of the varietal. Stainless steel ageing and careful vineyard management capture the freshness and vibrancy of the organically farmed fruit.
Winemaking
100% certified organic Sangiovese Grosso, trained with Guyot pruning. Grapes are harvested late, hand-sorted, and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts for 30–40 days in stainless steel vats without temperature control. The wine is aged 12 months in stainless steel and rested in bottle before release.
Tasting Notes
Bright ruby in color, this Sangiovese displays lifted red fruit aromas with subtle floral and earthy notes. The palate is structured yet balanced, with soft tannins, vibrant acidity, and a long, clean finish.
Reviews
2024 Rosso di Montalcino
The 2024 Rosso di Montalcino is an elegant early-drinking expression sourced from the estate’s high-altitude vineyards (400–500m). While approachable in its youth, it reflects the same care, traditional philosophy, and terroir focus as the estate’s flagship Brunello.
Winemaking
100% certified organic Sangiovese, trained with Guyot pruning. Grapes are harvested late, hand-sorted, and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts for 30–40 days without temperature control. The wine is aged 10–12 months in large, mostly old Slavonian oak casks and bottled unfiltered.
Tasting Notes
Bright ruby red with aromas of fresh red berries, wild herbs, and subtle floral hints. The palate is supple, with fine tannins, juicy acidity, and a persistent, savory finish. While approachable now, additional bottle age enhances complexity and depth, hinting at the Brunello to come.
2021 Brunello di Montalcino
The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is a refined expression of Le Potazzine’s traditional philosophy—pure Sangiovese from high-altitude vineyards (420–507m), patiently vinified, and carefully matured to highlight elegance, balance, and site expression.
Winemaking
100% certified organic Sangiovese, trained to Guyot. Grapes are harvested late, hand-sorted, and undergo spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts for up to 42 days without temperature control. Extended maceration occurs in open wooden vats, followed by ageing in large, mostly old Slavonian oak casks, then additional bottle ageing prior to release.
Tasting Notes
Brilliant ruby red in the glass. The nose offers floral violet, wild cherry, and subtle spice. On the palate, precise, sapid tannins combine with bright acidity, creating a Brunello of elegance, tension, and unmistakable traditional character, reflecting altitude, slow ripening, and hands-off winemaking.
Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Le Potazzine’s Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a rare and profound expression of Sangiovese, produced only in exceptional vintages.
A wine born in the vineyard, when distinct parcels showed extraordinary character and depth.
Only five vintages of the Riserva have been released, with the most recent being the 2021.
Like all of Le Potazzine’s wines, the Riserva is rooted in organic farming and traditional, time-intensive winemaking that emphasizes purity, terroir, and longevity.
Approximately 10-12 rows from the best parts of the vineyard are selected and vinified separately before extended maturation.
Winemaking
100% certified organic Sangiovese from high-altitude vineyards, trained to guyot with a density of 5,952 vines per hectare and yields of 55–60 quintals per hectare. Fermentation is spontaneous using native yeasts, lasting up to 40 days with no temperature control. The Riserva is aged for around 50 months in a single 30hl Slavonian oak cask and bottled without filtration.
Tasting Notes
Garnet in colour, with a refined and elegant nose of dried flowers, wild red berries, forest floor, exotic spice, licorice, and balsamic herbs. The palate is full and savoury, with fine-grained tannins, precision, and a remarkably persistent finish. A wine of rare depth and balance, showcasing the heights that traditional Sangiovese can reach in the right hands and conditions.
2019 Reviews
”The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva tempts the imagination, like cracking open an ashen stone to find a bevy of exotic spices, dried herbs, lavender, wild blueberries and zests of blood orange. Silky and serene, it floods the palate with elegant textures and hints of ripe red and black fruit. It takes on graphite mineral tones toward the close as a bump of residual acidity maintains fantastic freshness. This stains the palate in residual concentration yet leaves the mouth watering for more. It is structured yet lively and fresh, with lingering notes of licorice, red plum, dark chocolate and currant.”
98+pts. Eric Guido, Vinous
”In the bottle with the black label, the Le Potazzine 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is another beautiful creation from this high elevation estate. With 43 months of aging in Slavonian oak, it reveals tart fruit aromas with red and purple fruit highlights. There are hints of grilled watermelon, cassis and tart plum. It also offers grilled herb and dark mineral. Production is limited to 3,500 precious bottles.”
96pts. Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate
”Lustrous mid ruby. Complex spice notes hovering over intensely perfumed fruit. Huge depth on the nose. Layers and layers of raspberry compote on the palate. Very long and full-on and tempered by gravelly tannins sticking to the fruit. Needs much more time.”
17++pts. Warren Speller, Jancis Robinson