Winemaker Notes
Pair this wine with beef bourguignon and stroganoff, lamb shank, and roasted rabbit.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Enticing aromas of ripe berry, chopped herb, new leather, tobacco and a whiff of eucalyptus all mingle together on this gorgeous, vibrant red. The stunning, savory palate boasts juicy red cherry, pomegranate, white pepper and star anise while firm refined tannins and vibrant acidity lend structure and balance. It's already extraordinary and elegant but also young and primary, so give it time to fully develop.
Cellar Selection -
James Suckling
Opulent aromas of plum, dark berry, flower and sandalwood. Full body. Dense yet vivid and energetic. Wonderful exotic character and intensity. Great finish.
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Wine Spectator
Balsamic notes of juniper, sage and eucalyptus are buried underneath the cherry and plum fruit in this expressive, supple red, which is dense and well-structured, with excellent balance and a long iron and saline aftertaste. Just a tad richer and broader than the blended Brunello. Best from 2021 through 2038.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This celebrated single-vineyard wine follows through with many of the attractive themes presented in the base Brunello, only you get more robust intensity and power here. The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli is slightly more angular and edgy. You don't get the same immediate silkiness that you find in the non-vineyard-specific alternative. This wine plays up its structure with firm tannins and solid building blocks of red fruit and spice. There is a sweet note of clove or cinnamon on the close.
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Decanter
The hallowed Montosoli hill is an unofficial cru in Montalcino's northern sector, bathed in sunlight throughout the entire day, on a clay-shale soil rich in fossils and stones. With 5ha, Altesino is one of eight landowners here, producing their first separate bottling in 1975. This has gorgeous, pure and precise aromas of red cherry, tea, rose and juniper. On the palate it deepens, becoming more balsamic but remaining brisk. It's hard to resist now, but time will reveal more complexity. Drinking Window 2018 - 2033
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.