One Day You’ll Grow Up To Be Brunello

Yes La Gerla Again!

In case you haven’t read my 500 other reviews about a La Gerla Wine… Here we go again. Fattoria La Gerla, named for the large, old-fashioned, conical baskets that grape-harvesters used to carry on their backs, was founded in 1976 by the late Sergio Rossi. They only grow Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) So all of their wines are 100% Sangiovese or Brunello. Today, La Gerla consists of 11.5 hectares, divided between the original 6.5 hectare vineyard in Canalicchio (Montalcino) and an additional 5 hectares in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, where Mr. Rossi was the first to plant vines in earnest.  Of course don’t forget the Vineyard Gli Angeli which is right on the property in front which is the original Biondi-Site and these grapes are used for the single vineyard and on the best years the Brunello Riserva. The winemaker is Vittorio Fiore… The guy up above carrying “La Gerla” on his shoulders ….I don’t know what the heck he does but I have a Man Crush on him lol? He smells great too from that Bulgari Cologne he wears. Actually that is my dear friend and vineyard manager and the managing director of the winery, Alberto Passeri. He is currently the face of La Gerla winery and travels the world promoting these great wines.

2015 Poggio Gli Angeli Sangiovese

I have been to La Gerla a couple of times and I have done many tastings and wine dinners with Alberto so I kind of heard his Speech over 200 times and memorized it lol. He always used to say that the business card to La Gerla Brunellos were his Rosso di Montalcino. Poggio Means (Small Hill or Knoll in English) Poggio Gli Angeli— made from young vines in Castelnuovo, in the Brunello zone but not registered as such. This wine spends 4 months in Slavonian  Oak Casks and 2 months in the bottle… So A Baby. I think Alberto now has to change his speech that “The Poggio Gli Angeli is the business card to the Rosso Di Montalcino and the Rosso di Montalcino is the business card to the Brunello Di Montalcino and Larry The Wine Guy is the Business Card to All La Gerla Wines lol” This is a very young vineyard that is new to the La Gerla lineup. Still comes from Castelnuovo but not yet registered and certainly the aging could not be called a Rosso by DOC Rules. Let’s review this young wine.

My Review

In case you didn’t know Brunello di Montalcino means the Brown Wine of Montalcino even though it is 100% Sangiovese Grosso. The terrain up in the hills of Montalcino give the wine a brownish tinge that you don’t see in Chiantis for example. If you look at the glass of this young vine wine, It has that deep dark garnet red color but still coming from the same region, you can clearly see the brownish tinge on the rim. The aromas were not just classic Sangiovese but classic style of ALL La Gerla Wines I have reviewed over the years. Strong perfumed aromatics of bright cherry mixed with raspberry twizzlers or red licorice. 13.5 % Provides ample medium plus body. On the palate you get hit with a burst of juicy cherry, mixed with some earthiness and some very soft tannins and just  hint of herbs on the end and barely can pick up any oak at all because it only spends 4 months in those Large Casks. Such a fun and easy wine to drink and don’t get mad Alberto but I actually prefer it to the Rosso Di Montalcino because of it’s price range and the quality of the fruit and the flavor profile that is Fresh and Young. This is not a wine meant to age for 10 years. Maybe maximum 5 years but a wine that you can drink everyday with lots of different types of food or none at all. This is your everyday Sangiovese but made with the very same quality of the higher end wines from La Gerla. I would expect nothing less from this property. I am going to give this wine an 88 out of 100

The Summary

I chose a locally made thin crust pizza with mushrooms and anchovies for my food pairing and it worked even with the saltiness of the anchovies as the fruit on the Poggio Gli Angeli is intense and precise. Brunello is not an everyday wine. La Gerla’s Brunellos are always the most approachable to be drank young or to be aged for 20-30 years. This is just a great example of the quality of the vineyard management and the winemaking and the properties that La Gerla uses and for $16.99 I would stock up on this as my daily table wine that almost every wine palate would enjoy. Who knows what surprises Alberto has. This POGGIO is not registered as a Brunello even though the vineyard is located in the same zone but I have a feeling one day when these vines grow up…they might become a La Gerla Brunello ??

Grape-fully yours, Larry