Winemaker Notes
The wine shows garnet red hues, intense aromas of ripe, red berry fruit, such as red plum, pomegranate and red vine peach, sweet spices and Mediterranean herbs. On the palate the wine is well balanced, with generous pulp, seamless tannins and an endless finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A bright, pretty Vino Nobile showing rose petals, tulips and orange zest. Taut tannins draw out fine layers of firm tannins, coating the vibrant fruit in sparkling acidity. Medium-bodied and medium chewy. Crunchy on the finish. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Fragrant and loaded with finesse, this has enticing aromas of dark-skinned berry, violet, camphor and whiffs of pipe tobacco. The vibrant, linear palate has great tension, delivering juicy Morello cherry, crushed mint, orange zest and star anise framed in taut, fine-grained tannins. It’s balanced, with bright acidity. Drink 2022–2036. Cellar Selection
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.
This significant Tuscan village—not to be confused with the red grape of the same name widely grown in Abruzzo and the Marche regions—was home to one of the first four Italian DOCGs granted in 1980.
Based on the Sangiovese grape (here called Prugnolo Gentile), the village’s prized wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ranks stylistically in between Chianti Classico, for its finesse, and Brunello di Montalcino for its power. With a deep ruby color, heavy concentration and a firm structure given by the village's heavy, cool clay soils, most Vino Nobile di Montepulciano will demand some bottle age.