Cortonesi - Brunello di Montalcino La Mannella Riserva 2016

James Suckling

Sweet berry, cherry and orange-peel aromas with hints of flowers, following through to a medium body with firm, silky tannins and a juicy finish. Lovely fine tannins that run the length of the wine and give it energy and a refined structure. Better after 2023, but already a beauty.

Decanter Magazine

Tommaso Cortonesi prefers to make site-specific wines, bottling the estate’s two vineyard areas separately. In superior vintages, a Riserva is selected from Cortonesi’s oldest plots in La Mannella, which sits close to the revered Montosoli hill. After long ageing in 30-hectolitre Slavonian oak casks, the 2016 is sombre and stern in its delivery and will need more time to yield. Imbued with cocoa, flint and tobacco, it is a sinewy Brunello with stuffing but no extra fat. Very concentrated in steely acidity, this shows the vintage’s underlying freshness.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Only made in the best years, the Cortonesi 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva La Mannella is a wine that makes its special Riserva status very clear. Released with one more year of age after a Brunello annata, Riserva can be distinguished by more oak aging or by the selection of fruit used. In this case, the wine's identity is closely linked to the La Mannella parcel, which has old vines that deliver freshness and structure. This wine is broad and fleshed out with lots of softness and extra richness between the lines.

Wine Spectator

Wine Enthusiast

Made with grapes hailing from 37-year-old vines and aged in large Slavonian casks, this classically crafted wine has aromas of ripe black-skinned fruit, violet, sunbaked earth and new leather. The full-bodied palate features juicy Morello cherry, licorice and chewing tobacco framed in tightly wound, refined tannins while fresh acidity keeps it balanced. It's still youthfully austere, so give it time to fully develop. Drink 2026–2036.

Raffaele Vecchione - WinesCritic.com

Floral with a bohemian character showing notes of geraniums, hibiscus, wisteria, mandarin blossom and crushed chalk. Over time the scents of dog rose and white pepper emerge in the glass. Medium to full bodied, fine grain, perfectly matured and polymerized light tannins and an iconic finale that shows the elegance and depth of the Northern slopes in Montalcino. The Riserva di La Mannella is produced from vineyards planted in 1983 and made only from the best vintages.