Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Shows dried raspberry and cinnamon on the nose. Full-bodied, with an impressive density of fruit and round tannins. Long and flavorful. Just starting to open up. Powerful and rich. Best after 2010. 6,650 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
Poggio alle Mura 2004, Banfi's celebrated vineyard selection wine, delivers a consistent level of quality that reminds us of 1997 and 2001. The wine is true to itself with intense aromas of chocolate, cherry and spice. It's executed in a bold, blockbuster style with creamy softness and a velvety finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The estate's single-vineyard 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura is considerably richer and darker than the regular bottling. Smoke, tar, new leather and French oak lead to wild black cherries and licorice. The fruit boasts tons of depth and concentration, but the tannins suggest elements of over-extraction. Still, the 2004 Poggio alle Mura is an impressive wine, and one can only imagine what might be possible with this site if the winemaking were a little less heavy-handed. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022.
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.