Il Marroneto’s 2021 Brunello di Montalcino is a classic, traditionally built Sangiovese from the cooler, north-facing side of the Montalcino hill, where the estate farms roughly 8–9 hectares at about 400–430 meters. The family property, founded in the 1970s and led by Alessandro Mori, is known for a restrained approach: spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts and long aging in large Slavonian oak casks rather than small new barrels. Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner reports the wine “ages in oak botti for 42 months,” and she also notes a technically distinctive, slow-finishing fermentation regimen and a release of “22,000 bottles.”
In 2021, multiple critics point to both perfume and structure. Decanter (98) calls it “exquisitely refined,” highlighting florals—“rose, peony, lavender and lilac”—alongside “ample depth of dark red cherry and raspberry flavour,” with “piercing minerality” extending the finish. That 98-point review is one of the wine’s standout accolades, with Decanter suggesting it “could be the estate’s best classic Brunello so far.”
James Suckling (98) similarly emphasizes depth married to poise, describing “aromas of black cherries… dried flowers, licorice,” plus “elegance as well as depth,” finishing with “sleek tannins… graceful acidity and a super-polished finish.” Vinous’ Eric Guido (97) leans into the wine’s aromatic complexity—“crushed sour cherries and dried violets… incense”—and says it’s “seamless and silken,” with a mineral drive and “riveting acidity,” even comparing its intensity to the estate’s rarer Madonna delle Grazie bottling.
Not every note is purely plush. Larner (95) frames the wine as “distinctly austere and complex… etched with mineral precision,” while still praising “remarkably soft and polymerized tannins.” Jeb Dunnuck (93–95; later published at 95) captures its current stage well: “plush… pinned together with lifted acidity,” with “significant baby fat” but “a lot of immediate pleasure.” Overall, it’s a high-scoring 2021 that combines floral lift, mineral detail, and the concentration to age.
