James Suckling 96
"This is so rich and layered with lots of ripe cherry and wet earth aromas and flavors. Full body, chewy and polished tannins. It lasts for minutes on the palate. Impressive and persistent. Better in 2018. Publish Date: Sunday, February 28, 2016"

Wine Advocate 95
"La Serena struts its stuff with the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Gemini. This beautiful wine from Andrea Mantengoli is balanced, powerful and generous in terms of its aromatic delivery. The pristine and saturated color of the wine is already an indication of the high quality to follow. A seamless array of aromas includes dark cherry, spice, leather, balsam herb and crushed mineral. What the wine does do successfully is present an integrated bouquet that is finely stitched together. It offers similar smoothness in terms of mouthfeel. This is a great under-the-radar Brunello that needs more bottle aging for sure. Give it another five years."

About the Wine
Fermentation with temperature control. The wine then matures for 30 months (8-12 months in new barriques and the remaining months in large 20-50 hl oak casks. Finishing in the bottle for 8 months. 500 cases produced.

About the Estate
The La Serena estate has belonged to the Mantengoli family since the 1930s, but they did not start making wine until 1988, when brothers Andrea & Marcello entered the family business. What began as a one-hectare farm has since grown into ten hectares, with about eight of those under vine, dedicated exclusively to Sangiovese for Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino. The Mantengoli family has incorporated a system of diversified agriculture in their vineyards, where they grow a variety of crops, including spelt.

The zone of production, Torrenieri, is in the northeast corner of Montalcino at about 400 meters above sea level. The soil here is similar to the Pertimali/Montosoli Cru areas, but is slightly less compact, providing wines with structure but perhaps more approachability in their youth than their neighbors. With Enologist Paolo Caciorgna at the helm, the estate is in great hands.

Vineyard Practices: La Serena practices organic and biodynamic viticulture. Grass is grown between the rows, and beneficial insects have been introduced to the property. After harvest, the vine shoots are collected and composted to be used as organic fertilizer. There is absolutely no usage of chemical herbicides or fertilizers.

Farming Practice:Practicing Organic