Winemaker Notes
With velvety tannins, balanced acidity, and supple body, this Brunello is the wine of choice for rich dishes such as osso bucco, pot roasts, barbecues, and beef stew.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Wonderful decadent aromas of musk, orange peel and plum follow through to a full body, with soft tannins and a long and rich finish. Salty and savory. Layers of gorgeous fruit. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Altesino's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino stands proud among its peers. No other wine I tasted among the new releases in Montalcino achieves this unique level of aromatic finesse and distinction. The bouquet is almost purely floral in character with a strong emphasis on pressed rose petal, dried violets and potpourri. The fruit tones are less emphatic and include bright cherry and red currant. In the mouth, the wine's compressed texture is accented by fennel seed and licorice. the 2009 vintage had more power and heat, but this version shows elegant restraint.
Rating: 93+ -
Wine Spectator
Expressive aromas of eucalyptus, juniper and wild rosemary give way to sweet berry flavors, though the juniper, rosemary and emerging mint accents linger. This is like a walk in the woods, with a fresh, elegant frame. Best from 2017 through 2030. 8,300 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
Menthol, leather, pressed flower and woodland berry aromas mingle with a balsamic note. The delineated palate delivers sour red cherry, sage and a note of baking spice alongside youthfully austere but fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. This is more about finesse and balance but it should also develop more complexity over the next few years. Drink 2016–2025.
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.