Banfi Brunello di Montalcino (1.5 Liter Magnum) 2014
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James
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red with garnet reflections. The nose is ethereal with violet, vanilla and hints of licorice. The palate is full, soft, velvety, with traces of spice.
Perfect with red meats, wild game and aged cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Light clove and nutmeg character to the plum and cherry aromas. Subtle. Medium-bodied, very polished and balanced with a flavorful finish. Lovely, chewy tannins. Drink from 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Brunello di Montalcino (with 480,000 bottles produced) reveals a pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to this challenging vintage. The wine makes good on a promise to deliver the cornerstone characteristics of Brunello including wild berry aromas with grilled herb, spice and forest floor. This vintage is not known for its intensity or thickness, and in fact the wine is mild and composed in personality. However, it is also silky and accessible with a very fine but firm tannic structure that is stitched in carefully like lacework at the back.
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Castello Banfi is a family-owned vineyard estate and winery located in the Brunello region of Tuscany. This award-winning estate was founded on the philosophy of blending tradition with innovation, and is recognized as a pioneer in elevating the standards of Italian winemaking. Dedication to excellence has won the approval of aficionados the world over. Capturing honor after prestigious honor, Castello Banfi is a constellation of single vineyards encompassing over three dozen varying subsoils. The estate is renowned for its clonal research that allows noble grape varieties to thrive in their optimal terroir, creating not only a consistently outstanding Brunello, but the ultimate expression of Montalcino Super Tuscans.
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.