Il Marroneto

Giuseppe Mori, whose family comes from Siena, bought a small property in Montalcino in 1974, drawn to a tower from the mid-1200s where marroni, a particular type of chestnut, were once dried; the estate takes its name from them. Production began in two small rooms of this former chestnut-drying house, a historic building dating to 1246. Giuseppe's sons Andrea and Alessandro joined him, working the vineyard at weekends while following their father into the legal profession. The family planted its first vineyard plot in 1975, with further plantings in 1979 and 1984. The first vintage was vinified in 1975 and the first was bottled in 1980. Alessandro managed the winemaking alongside his brother Andrea until 1993, and in 1994 he left his law career in Rome to work at the estate full time. In the 1990s he enlarged the cellar. Alessandro Mori is the current owner, and the business trades as Az. Agr. il Marroneto di Mori Alessandro, at Località Madonna delle Grazie in Montalcino.

• 1974: Giuseppe Mori buys the property
• 1975: first vineyard plot planted and first vintage vinified; further plantings in 1979 and 1984
• 1980: first bottled vintage
• 1994: Alessandro Mori leaves his law career in Rome to work at the estate full time
• Owner: Alessandro Mori

Alessandro Mori owns Il Marroneto, and he manages its whole production chain. His son Iacopo joined him in the cellar in 2019, and the Selezione Iacopo Rosso di Montalcino comes from Iacopo's own selection of Brunello casks. Two enologists guided the estate in its formative years: Mario Cortevesio consulted from 1975 to 1985, and Giulio Gambelli was enologist from 1985 to 1993. Andrea Mori shared the winemaking with his brother until 1993.

• Alessandro Mori: owner
• Iacopo Mori: joined the cellar in 2019
• Mario Cortevesio: consultant, 1975 to 1985
• Giulio Gambelli: enologist, 1985 to 1993
• Andrea Mori: shared the winemaking until 1993

The vineyards lie on the northern slope of the Montalcino hill, a marine zone of sea and wind-borne sediments where sea sand is mixed with various minerals. In 2022 Alessandro farmed nine hectares on the northern slopes of Montalcino, below the town walls at around 400 metres, following organic practices. Vines are spaced so that each has 3.6 square metres, giving Sangiovese, which feeds near the surface, room to root well. The rows are naturally grassed to control vine vigour, pruning takes place in March, and the vines are treated only as much as strictly necessary, avoiding intensive production. Grapes are picked only when the stems begin to turn a burnt colour, a sign that the seeds have ripened. The Madonna delle Grazie vineyard, the estate's original vineyard, sits at around 400 metres and is named after the 13th-century church that overlooks it.

• Northern slope of the Montalcino hill; sea sand mixed with minerals
• Nine hectares farmed in 2022, at around 400 metres below the town walls
• 3.6 square metres per vine; natural grassing between rows; pruning in March
• Harvest when the stems turn a burnt colour, a sign of ripe seeds

All five wines ferment in 40 hl oak vats. The destemmed must rests for a day before a first pump-over, and fermentation starts spontaneously, with no selected yeasts or nutrient salts. For the Brunello and the two Madonna delle Grazie wines the estate uses no temperature control. Pump-overs continue for 13 to 15 days for the Brunello and 16 to 17 days for Madonna delle Grazie. For the Brunello and Madonna delle Grazie, as fermentation slows, the wine is drawn off while it still holds 6 to 10 g/L of residual sugar and before malolactic conversion; the skins are pressed in vertical presses and the press wine is returned to the wine it came from, which then completes its fermentations. The Brunellos age in large casks of Allier and Slavonian oak in a cellar set into a stony slope.

• 40 hl oak vats; spontaneous fermentation; no selected yeasts or nutrient salts
• No temperature control for the Brunellos
• Drawn off at 6 to 10 g/L residual sugar, before malolactic conversion
• Large Allier and Slavonian oak casks for ageing

The lineup has five wines, all 100% Sangiovese. Ignaccio, a Rosso di Montalcino DOC, ages 18 months in 26-quintal oak casks and a further 6 months in bottle. Selezione Iacopo, also a Rosso di Montalcino DOC, comes from Iacopo Mori's own selection of Brunello casks and ages 20 months in cask and 6 months in bottle. Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino DOCG ages 42 months in 26-quintal oak casks and becomes Brunello after five years, including six months in bottle. Madonna delle Grazie Brunello di Montalcino DOCG is made from a selection of grapes from the estate's historic vineyard near the small church of the Madonna delle Grazie, which dates to the 1200s, and ages 47 months in cask. Its first vintage was 2000. Madonna delle Grazie Riserva ages 58 months in 25-quintal oak casks and becomes Brunello Riserva after about six years, including ten months in bottle; 2013 was the first vintage Alessandro Mori released as a Riserva.

• Ignaccio, Rosso di Montalcino DOC: 18 months in cask, 6 in bottle
• Selezione Iacopo, Rosso di Montalcino DOC: Iacopo Mori's selection of Brunello casks; 20 months in cask, 6 in bottle
• Il Marroneto, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG: 42 months in cask
• Madonna delle Grazie, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG: 47 months in cask; first vintage 2000
• Madonna delle Grazie Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG: 58 months in cask; first released with the 2013 vintage

Il Marroneto calls its Brunello a traditional wine, aged in large oak casks and made by Montalcino's traditional methods, and very elegant, rich in aromas and classic. In a 2022 Decanter profile, James Button wrote that even when muscular wines aged in new oak barriques were in fashion, Il Marroneto's wines kept 'a reliably light touch with restraint and finesse.'

Wine Spectator rated the 2010 Madonna delle Grazie 95 points and the 2010 Brunello 94 points in its July 31, 2015 issue. In Decanter's report on the 2021 Brunello vintage, published in February 2026, Michaela Morris scored the 2021 Madonna delle Grazie 98 points and called the 2021 Brunello 'the absolute epitome of 2021’s elegant side.'

• 2010 Madonna delle Grazie: 95 points, Wine Spectator (2015)
• 2010 Brunello: 94 points, Wine Spectator (2015)
• 2021 Madonna delle Grazie: 98 points, Decanter (2026)

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://ilmarroneto.com/, https://ilmarroneto.com/azienda/, https://ilmarroneto.com/cantina/, https://ilmarroneto.com/le-vigne/, https://ilmarroneto.com/vini/il-marroneto-brunello-di-montalcino/, https://ilmarroneto.com/vini/selezione-madonna-delle-grazie-brunello-di-montalcino/, https://ilmarroneto.com/vini/selezione-madonna-delle-grazie-riserva/, https://ilmarroneto.com/vini/ignaccio-rosso-di-montalcino/, https://ilmarroneto.com/vini/selezione-iacopo-rosso-di-montalcino/. Secondary sources: Decanter (James Button, last updated 8 June 2022; Michaela Morris, 16 February 2026; Madonna delle Grazie Riserva 2013 review page) and Wine Spectator (Brunello alphabetical listing, July 31, 2015 issue). Last verified 2026-10-19. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.