Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso 2012
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Winemaker Notes
ideal with main courses of roasted and stewed meat, game and mature cheese.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is all about finesse and beauty with such great length and polish. It literally melts in your mouth. Full-bodied yet agile and vivid. So many undertones of cedar, berries, cream and light toffee. Fabulous. Contender for the wine of the vintage.
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Wine Enthusiast
Ripe black-skinned fruit, underbrush, truffle and dark spice aromas come together in this full-bodied red. The palate is firm and seamless, delivering mature black cherry, raspberry compote, licorice and pipe tobacco flavors with both power and finesse. Tightly knit, polished tannins provide structure. Drink 2022–2032. Cellar Selection
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona is one of the headline estates of Montalcino and the Pianrosso single vineyard is known for its consistency and the steady grace of its performance. The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso does not quite reach the heights of the outstanding 2010 vintage. This release comes near in terms of power and purity, although it bears some of the weight of the hot vintage. The darkness of fruit is more pronounced and the tannins are a bit softer. Make no mistake, the thick soils of the Pianrosso site have helped to achieve impressive balance. The long finish offers tobacco, balsam herb and dried fruit.
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Wine Spectator
This red balances juicy cherry and plum fruit, tobacco and leather accents, and firm yet pliable tannins. As a result, this is vibrant and long, with earth and iron elements emerging on the aftertaste. Best from 2020 through 2033.
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Ciacci Piccolomini is one of the most sought-after producers in all of Italy. This ancient estate has 35 hectares of superior holdings in the prized Castelnuovo dell’Abate zone, including the ‘Pianrosso’ vineyard (meaning ‘red field,’ a reference to the iron rich soils) and the ‘Fonte’ vineyard, which produces grapes for the Rosso di Montalcino.
Plantings of Syrah, Cabernet, and Merlot are to the south, where the Orcia river provides a milder microclimate. The non-traditional wines are as exciting as the Brunello and Rosso: ‘Ateo,’ which means ‘atheist,’ is a statement against the restrictive laws that govern winemaking in Italy; the wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 100% Syrah ‘Fabius’ is one of the greatest expressions of that variety in Italy and Parker once called it “the finest Italian Syrah I have tasted.” The estate is a member of the EU ‘Lotta Integrata’ movement, which promotes reduced use of chemicals and organic viticulture; at Ciacci, fertilization is organic, and pruning and harvest are done by hand.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.
Famous for its bold, layered and long-lived red, Brunello di Montalcino, the town of Montalcino is about 70 miles south of Florence, and has a warmer and drier climate than that of its neighbor, Chianti. The Sangiovese grape is king here, as it is in Chianti, but Montalcino has its own clone called Brunello.
The Brunello vineyards of Montalcino blanket the rolling hills surrounding the village and fan out at various elevations, creating the potential for Brunello wines expressing different styles. From the valleys, where deeper deposits of clay are found, come wines typically bolder, more concentrated and rich in opulent black fruit. The hillside vineyards produce wines more concentrated in red fruits and floral aromas; these sites reach up to over 1,600 feet and have shallow soils of rocks and shale.
Brunello di Montalcino by law must be aged a minimum of four years, including two years in barrel before realease and once released, typically needs more time in bottle for its drinking potential to be fully reached. The good news is that Montalcino makes a “baby brother” version. The wines called Rosso di Montalcino are often made from younger vines, aged for about a year before release, offer extraordinary values and are ready to drink young.