Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino 2016
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of rose, camphor and wild berry mingle with whiffs of leather and Mediterranean herb on this lovely Brunello. The racy, high-toned palate delivers tart cranberry, red raspberry and crushed mint while a graphite note lends depth. Polished tannins and bright acidity keep it focused and balanced. It's already showing beautifully but also offers years of fine drinking. Enjoy 2023–2031.
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Wine & Spirits
Complex aromas of red cherry, orange zest and subtle spice are mirrored on the palate, the flavors propelled by brisk acidity and girded by cool, mineral tannins. The wine captures the freshness of the 2016 vintage, the vibrant flavors drawing out on a long, rose-scented finish.
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James Suckling
Very pretty aromas and flavors of sweet berries and cherries with hints of mushrooms and bark, following through to a medium to full body with linear, tight tannins that flow through the palate. Try after 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Il Palazzone's 2016 Brunello di Montalcino unfolds to light and crisp fruit with lots of wild cherry, rose and blue flower. This is a silky and medium-bodied red with lots of lifted energy and zest. This is a very lively wine. That lighter approach gives this wine a more immediate and accessible approach, and it would pair well with pork or lamb chops. It represents a blend of fruit from three vineyard sites.
Other Vintages
2018-
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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.