Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A jeweled ruby color, the 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino Poggio Alle Mura begins to shift to another gear, with attractive fruity and sappy aromas of raspberry preserve, pressed flowers, sweet resinous herbs, and forest earth. The palate brings forward more intensity and energy throughout and is medium to full-bodied but not weighted, with balanced, refreshing acidity, ripe tannins, and a structured finish that builds without drying. It is an impressive wine from Banfi to cellar or drink over the coming two decades.
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James Suckling
Generous wine on the nose with ripe raspberries, macerated violets and some earthy complexity. Elegant approach to the medium- to full-bodied palate, with youthful yet ripe tannins, refreshing acidity and a polished finish. Good balance overall. Best after 2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This wine represents a special selection of estate fruit closer to the castle. The Castello Banfi 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura offers greater focus and sharpness compared to the village Brunello made by this celebrated estate. That sharpness is executed thanks to a light trace of crushed stone, licorice and grilled herb that adds framing to a dark core of fruit. There is some savory spice and cinnamon to close.
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Wine Spectator
A sleek, linear red, with a racy profile permeated with cherry, strawberry, currant and wild herb flavors. There are firm tannins, yet this is harmonious, and the fruit is in lockstep with its structure and fluid texture. Shows fine length, adding mineral and black pepper elements. Best from 2027 through 2043.
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.