Red Wine Sesti Monteleccio by Kermit lynch

When it comes to legendary wine regions like Brunello di Montalcino, you can often glean the potential of a producer’s range, in terms of quality and value, by first tasting their entry-level cuvée. With Sesti, this is certainly true—the stellar Monteleccio offers a tantalizing taste of the family’s world-class Brunello. The reason for the elegance and deliciousness of this bottling is no mystery: Elisa Sesti uses Brunello-quality Sangiovese to make the Monteleccio.
     Across her lineup, she pampers the grapes similarly, using the same organic and biodynamic approaches. She also uses the same, massive 30-hectoliter oak botti to age all of the wines. What’s the difference between the family’s Brunello and Monteleccio, then? It’s primarily a question of character, as Elisa bottles the Monteleccio after one year of aging rather than the three for Brunello in order to capture the young, fresh charm of Sangiovese. Serve it slightly chilled, with roast chicken or a wild mushroom polenta, for a perfect meal.