Cerbaiona
The high temple of traditional Sangiovese: a cult Montalcino estate founded by a former Alitalia pilot in 1977, planted with Biondi-Santi cuttings, and now a K&L Direct Import.
Cerbaiona began when Diego Molinari, a former Alitalia pilot, bought the estate in 1977 and replanted its small vineyard with cuttings from Biondi-Santi, committing from the first to traditional Brunello methods. The bottlings of the 1980s quickly earned cult status, and under Matthew Fioretti the estate has kept the faith: long macerations, large casks, wines that are transparent, high-toned and built on acidity rather than weight.
The Brunello comes from the crest of the hill; the Rosso di Montalcino from the rest of the vineyard, and in a vintage like 2021 it is essentially a baby Brunello. "Grammatica" is the Toscana IGT that underpins the modern era — the estate's grammar, as the name says — and the Rosso Toscana is the entry to the house at a price that is close to unheard of for this address.