Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Pouring a bright red hue, the 2023 Rosso Di Montalcino brings more complexity and energy, with attractive notes of graphite, wild berries, and floral lift on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied and focused, with brisk tannins, refreshing acidity, and mouthwatering salinity that carries through the long finish. I love this vintage, and it’s a particularly strong Rosso that should drink beautifully for years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bridging the gap between fruit-forward appeal and varietal authority, the Gianni Brunelli Le Chiuse di Sotto 2023 Rosso di Montalcino delivers bright berry and cherry fruit with attractive freshness and clarity. Subtle notes of blue flower and bitter almond follow through to a mild, mid-weight finish. The style favors drinkability and immediacy while retaining enough detail to remain engaging.
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.