Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2009
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Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with roasts, grilled and braised meats, game and ripe cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Boasting that extra year of cellar aging, the 2009 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is a little more steady on its feet compared to the estate's new releases. Dried cherry, blackcurrant, spice and leather broaden the wine's aromatic spectrum. As do the delicate tones of ginger and licorice that linger delicately at the back. This is an expressive and articulate wine that needs more time to form its message. The tannins show a touch of astringency that should soften within the next five years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Pretty aromas meld crushed violet, rose, pressed powder and perfumed berry. The palate offers mature plum, fleshy berry, licorice, coffee and a smoky note. It's powerfully built, with velvety tannins that provide the framework. It ends on a confectionary note. Drink through 2020.
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Wine Spectator
Starts out with rich cherry, berry, tobacco and earth flavors, underlined by dusty tannins. Finishes on the firm side, but hangs together well. Best from 2017 through 2025.
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James Suckling
A dense and chewy red with plum, dried berry and mineral character. Full body and a slightly extracted finish. But delicious nonetheless. Better in 2016.
Other Vintages
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The origins of the place named Caparzo are still unknown. According to some people, the name is derived, as shown by ancient maps, from Ca’ Pazzo; according to others, the term should derive from the Latin Caput Arsum, indicating "a place touched by sun”. The history of Caparzo dates back to the end of the 1960s at the dawning of Brunello di Montalcino, when a group of friends, fond of Tuscany and of wine, purchased an old ruin with vineyards at Montalcino. The farm estate was renovated, modernized, and new vineyards were planted. In a short time, Caparzo made itself known in the Brunello market. In 1998, 30 years after the first rows of vines were planted, the farm estate came to a turning point when Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini purchased Caparzo. With the help of her son, Igino, and daughter, Alessandra, she immediately carried out her objective: combining tradition with innovation to create a high-quality wine that is the expression of an excellent territory.
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.