Winemaker Notes
Blend: 85% Sangiovese Prugnolo Gentile, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a rather glossy, deep ruby hue and the orange tinge is not even developed yet. Very youthful and a lot less savory than most of the Boscarelli offerings showing the usual mineral attraction, but this comes with a little more fruit, spices and even plushness. Deep cherry, plum, mussel and oyster shell characters on the nose follow through to a full-bodied palate drenched with firm, chalky tannins. The impressive structure ends in a neat, mineral finish. Almost a bit embryonic now despite its more eclectic and probably less traditional style. Wait two to three years before opening the bottle. Should keep very well in the next 10-15 years.
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.