La Gerla

Founded by the late Sergio Rossi in 1976, La Gerla is one of the leading estates in Montalcino, Tuscany. Originally named Colombaio, the estate was previously owned by the Biondi-Santi family. The main vineyards of this beautiful estate are located at the foot of the Montalcino hill in Canalicchio, at 320m above sea level. During his time in charge, Rossi extended the vineyard holdings by purchasing 5ha of vines in Castelnuovo dell’Abate. The estate is now run by vineyard manager Alberto Passeri and winemaker Vittorio Fiore.

La Gerla produces five wines, all made from massal-selected Sangiovese Grosso grapes: Poggio Gli Angeli is produced from young vines in Castelnuovo and matured for four months in Slavonian oak botti; Rosso di Montalcino spends two years in cask, one of which is in Slavonian oak; Birba is a declassified Brunello di Montalcino which spends one year in barrique and a year in Slavonian oak; Brunello is a blend of Sangiovese grapes from Canalicchio and Castelnuovo, aged for three years in cask and one year on bottle; and finally Brunello gli Angeli is a riserva made in exceptional vintages from 1ha of old vines. This long-lived wine is matured for four years in Slavonian oak and a further year in bottle before release.