Cerbaiona, Toscana IGT

Since its first vintage in 1981, Cerbaiona has produced some of the most sensational—if hard to get—Brunello di Montalcino wines of the modern era. Working with just three hectares of vineyards, founder Diego Molinari developed a rabid cult following for his impeccable Sangiovese from Montalcino’s eastern slopes, but there was also a ‘super-Tuscan’-style blend lurking in the shadows, at a remarkably fair price. That would be today’s wine, which carries a “Toscana” designation but is firmly rooted in Cerbaiona’s tiny corner of Montalcino.While most of Cerbaiona’s three hectares are devoted to Sangiovese for Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino bottlings, Molinari gave over a small amount of territory to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Malvasia Nera, which found their way into blends with Sangiovese not used in Brunello/Rosso production. Legend is that today’s IGT bottling was originally conceived as a ‘house’ wine to be served to visitors, but it caught on commercially—and how could