Winemaker Notes
Decant the wine for at least 1 hour before drinking for an optimum enjoyment.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a pretty wine with roses, berries and raspberries on the nose and palate. What I like is its medium to full body with very well-integrated tannins and a pretty, clean finish. Such harmony and balance here.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Argiano’s 2008 Brunello di Montalcino graces the palate with serious depth. An unusually big, rich wine for Argiano, the 2008 is concentrated, yet carries its weight with considerable grace. Tobacco, smoke, licorice, menthol and savory herbs all add complexity on the structured finish. This is a rare 2008 Brunello that will require at least a few years in the cellar. The 2008 spent two years in barrel followed by a year in cement prior to being bottled. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2023.
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Wine & Spirits
Tuscany captured in bold strokes of flavor: This has a cool, cave-like feel to its earthy tannins. More delicate, savory notes of red fruit and spice lace through the wine, balancing its power with a sense of restraint. The spices make an impression and lasts, suspended for moments after each sip. Built for the cellar, this should begin to reach its peak at ten years of age.
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Wine Enthusiast
This historic estate (recently sold to a group of Brazilian investors) offers a long perspective on the history of Brunello di Montalcino. Its latest release shows dark fruit extraction with smooth tones of espresso and spice at the back. Both the tannins and the acidity are well integrated and not invasive.
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Wine Spectator
This historic estate (recently sold to a group of Brazilian investors) offers a long perspective on the history of Brunello di Montalcino. Its latest release shows dark fruit extraction with smooth tones of espresso and spice at the back. Both the tannins and the acidity are well integrated and not invasive.
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.