Notes from Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant:

"The Toscana Rosso “Monteleccio” is the Usain Bolt of Sesti’s Olympian lineup: explosive, flashy, and usually built for the relatively short-distance sprint. Made from Sangiovese vines planted in oceanic sediment in the heart of the Brunello di Montalcino appellation, this bottling is divided from the Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino in the cellar, where Elisa Sesti and her father, Giuseppe, decide which barrels hold the juice best suited for each bottling. Derived from the Latin name for Montalcino—“hill of the holm oaks”—Monteleccio is an enormously pleasurable, populist wine that evokes juicy, ripe cherries, rhubarb, and a touch of mint. This rosso is filled with class, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

That said, even though Usain Bolt is probably best known for the 100-meter dash, he also holds the world record for the 200-meter. Have you ever seen him run more? I haven’t, but I bet he’d stun even in the 400-meter. This Monteleccio can probably also go the distance beyond the short, explosive sprint we love it for. That is where the nobility of the Brunello-quality grapes comes in. Succulent and tightly coiled, with a beautifully integrated tannin and outstanding finesse, this “baby Brunello” punches way above its weight and will serve you well again and again!"