Cerbaiona

Profile de Producteur | Toscane, Italie

Cerbaiona, long established as one of Montalcino’s benchmark addresses, was founded in 1977 by former Alitalia pilot Diego Molinari and his wife Nora. The couple purchased a rambling 17th-century farmhouse just north-east of the town of Montalcino and planted their first three hectares of vines on the prized, east-facing slopes at around 350 m altitude. Their inaugural vintages quickly attracted attention for their purity and finesse, helping to set a new qualitative standard for Brunello at a time when the denomination was still defining itself.

In 2015, the Molinaris sold the property to a small investment group headed by Matthew Fioretti, who has both respected Molinari’s legacy and steadily sharpened the viticultural and cellar practices. The estate now farms the original three hectares of Sangiovese Grosso on those historic slopes alongside small plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot used for the Vino da Tavola—and continues to vinify Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino in a resolutely traditional style.

Cerbaiona’s philosophy remains rooted in minimal intervention and transparent terroir expression: hand harvesting, spontaneous fermentations in concrete or stainless steel, and élévage in large Slavonian oak botti. Since Fioretti’s arrival, the vineyards have been fully converted to organic farming, with cover crops and biodiversity encouraged to maintain healthy soils. Production is tiny—often barely 12'000 bottles of Brunello per year—yet the wines consistently rank among the most elegant and long-lived in the appellation, securing Cerbaiona’s status as a modern classic of Montalcino.