Italian coffee giant Illy has just acquired the 90ha Mastrojanni estate in the Montalcino hamlet of Castelnuovo dell'Abate.
Founded in 1975 by Gabriele and Antonio Mastrojanni, the estate has 24 ha under vine and an overall production of 80,000 bottles a year.
Until now Mastrojanni has been a family-owned firm, and is known for its classic Brunellos, particularly its single vineyard Brunello, Schiena d'Asino.
Managing director and winemaker Andrea Machetti, who is to remain in charge of day-to-day operations under Illy, has been with Mastrojanni since 1992.
'The Illy family members obviously love wine and are known for their good taste. Though they will make some investments in the business, the house style won't change and we will continue to focus on making outstanding Brunello from Sangiovese,' Machetti told decanter.com.
The Illy family, based in Trieste, which bought controlling shares in chocolate company Domori in 2006 as well as in French tea firm Dammann Frères in 2007, is not new to the wine business.
Francesco Illy, one of the four grandchildren of the firm's founder, already owns a young estate in Montalcino, Podere Le Ripi. Riccardo Illy, president of the holding group said, 'Everyone in my family has a passion for wine, and with this acquisition, we have realised one of our dreams.'
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Should we be on the outlook for notes of torrefaction and espresso in future vintages of Mastrojanni's Montalcino wines?
Jeffrey Davies
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