Winemaker Notes
Brilliant ruby red, with a fresh fruity and floral bouquet (notes of iris, violets, plums, blueberries, Briar rose and brushwood), confirmed on the consistent, fragrant palate, rich in pure Sangiovese character. Pair with Pasta, risotto, light meat dishes, cold cuts, likeham or salumi or as an all-around wine.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Smoky cherry, raspberry, iron and wild herb flavors align with a supple texture in this inviting red. Balanced, with accents of earth on the lightly astringent finish. Food and a few months in bottle will smooth the edges. Sangiovese and Mammolo. Drink now through 2032.
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.