Mannella

Family roots before 1945

The Cortonesi family was already living on the land around Montalcino before the end of the Second World War. The difficult post-war setting made investment in the territory far from self-evident, yet the family continued to believe in its potential. Honesty, hard work and the sustained study of vine cultivation and winemaking became enduring family principles. Marco transmitted these values to his children and made the family the foundation of every subsequent project.

Recognising two terroirs in 1998

The estate's northern and south-eastern vineyards were initially treated as a single territory and their grapes contributed to one Brunello. In 1998 Marco recognised that the two soils produced markedly different results and concluded that combining them diminished their individual expression. The existing classic Brunello subsequently took the name La Mannella, while a separate selection from the south-eastern vineyards was created under the name Poggiarelli.

The distinction rested on material differences between the sites: La Mannella has clay and sandstone, whereas I Poggiarelli is rocky and rich in galestro or marl. Their aromas, flavours and overall sensory expression were sufficiently different to justify separate identities.

Parcel-by-parcel development

Following the decision to distinguish the two areas, Tommaso strongly encouraged increasingly precise separation of the estate's grapes. The approach developed beyond the two broad zones toward processing individual plots separately, allowing the family to understand more closely what each parcel could produce and how its fruit should be handled. La Mannella and I Poggiarelli consequently became the estate's two named crus.

From La Mannella to Cortonesi

The family later placed its surname at the centre of the business, adopting the name Cortonesi to reinforce its connection with Montalcino and to give the two Brunello expressions clearer, terroir-specific identities. La Mannella ceased to function simply as the company brand. It retained its central importance as the name of the delimited area on the slopes of Montalcino, near Montosoli, that had shaped the family's development.

This change did not represent a rejection of the past. The family's stated direction combines respect for tradition and the purity of Sangiovese with technical and cultural evolution, leaving behind ideas it considers outdated while preserving a close relationship with its origins.

The estate works with Sangiovese and identifies respect for the variety's purity as one of its fundamental principles. The cultivation system identified throughout the range is spurred cordon.

Management is organised to recognise differences between the northern and south-eastern territories. The separation has become progressively more detailed, extending to individual plots so that the family can evaluate what each parcel produces and adapt its handling accordingly.

The cellar follows a deliberately restrained, tradition-oriented approach to élevage. La Mannella Rosso, Brunello and Brunello Riserva are associated with Slavonian oak casks holding slightly more than 30 hl. Wood-ageing time is determined vintage by vintage rather than imposed as a fixed formula. Long maturation is favoured, with wines in this part of the programme rarely spending less than three years in wood.

Large casks are chosen to permit extended ageing without imparting excessive wood aromas that could obscure the primary character of Sangiovese or the identity of an individual vintage.

Poggiarelli follows a separate route in French oak tonneaux for approximately 24 months. This period is intended to balance the preservation of freshness with the development obtained through ageing.

Grapes from the estate's contrasting territories are handled separately, and the separation can extend to individual plots. This parcel-focused organisation supports the distinct identities of La Mannella and I Poggiarelli rather than folding both into a single expression.