Le Potazzine

Few estates in Montalcino can count an in-house enologist as an owner, but Giuseppe Gorelli of Le Potazzine is just that. Before founding his own estate, he worked as an enologist at the Consorzio del Brunello for 15 years with the great Giulio Gambelli, the man behind Pergole Torte and the 100% Sangiovese movement in Tuscany.

In 1993, Giuseppe and his wife Gigliola purchased a 3.5 hectare farm at 500 meters above sea level right next door. They named it ‘Le Potazzine,’ which in the dialect of Montalcino it describes a highly-colored bird noted for its loveliness and happiness, after the nickname Gigliola’s mother had given her two young daughters.

Their wines thrilled clients and critics alike, and though it was the “moment of the barrique,” Giuseppe and Gigliola never felt the need to experiment or change. The wines were always 100% pure expressions of Montalcino terroir with an appealing elegance, and they remain so today.