Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2004
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Wine Enthusiast
Il Palazzone's 2004 Riserva exhibits nicely aged aromas of dried currants, spice, leather, tar, Indian spice, pressed violets and cassis. There’s excellent intensity and complexity here and the wine closes long with lingering layers of spice and smoke.
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Wine & Spirits
From a ten-acre vineyard in western Montalcino, at an altitude of 480 meters, this wine developed its share of earthy power in 2004 (the first great vintage since Dick Parsons, then president of Time Warner, bought the property in 2001). Rooted in mineral tannin, the wine is brisk and sunny, with an elusive power to its fruit. New oak is still a major element in the finish, but there's plenty of earthen depth to the flavors that emerge from underneath. For the cellar and eventually, a thick-cut ribeye.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
e 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is quite possibly the finest wine I have tasted from Il Palazzone. The fruit is rich, round and caressing, all qualities that carry through to the round, creamy finish. Red cherries, spices and subtle oak add layers of complexity on the close. This is essentially a fruit-driven, open style of Brunello. The wine is firing on all cylinders today and should drink beautifully for a number of years. The Riserva is made from vineyards in Montalcino and Castelnuovo dell'Abate. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022.
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Wine Spectator
Blackberry and sliced lemon on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied, with medium chewy tannins and a fresh finish. Turns clean and very pretty. Focused and refined.
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Il Palazzone was founded in the 1980s. The estate has three separate vineyards in three distinct areas of Montalcino. The highest elevation vineyard, Le Due Porte, is located next to the cellar, very close to the town of Montalcino. Two older vineyards are near Castelnuovo dell’Abate. In total we have 5 hectares/ 12 acres under vine, all Sangiovese.
Each vineyard is tended separately and picked, vinified and aged alone. The extraordinary variety of terroir and microclimate result in having three complimentary aspects of Montalcino represented in the final Brunello which is blended across the three vineyards.
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.