Bancroft

About Uccelliera

Winemaker Andrea Cortonesi’s unwavering passion and entrepreneurial spirit have produced pure, profound expressions of Montalcino. He has long dedicated his vineyards to the production of Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino, where he follows sustainable agricultural practices guided by nature and the growing season. All grapes are hand harvested.

Uccelliera is the name of an old homestead laid on the hillslope of Castelnuovo dell’Abate, overlooking the ancient volcano of Mount Amiata. Andrea has cultivated vines here since 1986 at the Uccelliera estate, which formed the brainchild for the separate Voliero estate later in 2006. In 1986, Andrea acquired a farm with 2 hectares of land with century-old olive trees and pastures where he replanted a small vineyard with Sangiovese, located on the Southeastern side of Montalcino.

Of Uccelliera’s 2 hectares of vines, the lowest vines are located at 150 metres above sea level near the river, with the middle vines sitting at 250 metres, next to the cellar, and the highest vineyards sit at 350 metres above sea level. Each parcel is only a few hundred metres apart and the varied soils and different aspects are blended for his wines to express Montalcino in full. The natural barrier from the mountains on the south-east side, and from Poggio d’Arna in the south-west, as well as the Orcia river and the coastal breeze rising up from its valley, create a unique microclimate for the vines. The wine cellar is built underneath the farmhouse, offering natural temperate humidity for optimum ageing conditions. The Uccelliera wines have a ‘summer’ identity: incredibly pure and balanced, with bright, lifted aromas and elegant complexity ageing predominantly in French and Slavonian oak.

About Voliero

In 2006, Andrea expanded to manage some more vineyards in Montalcino near San Angelo in Colle. Deserving of their own attention, the vineyard and estate for his Voliero label are located 3-5 kilometres away from the Uccelliera winery. His aim here is to explore a new project that expresses the character of a different terroir. The Voliero wines are described as ‘autumnal’: delicate, clean tannins with a rich and savoury fruit profile that runs through.