Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A beautiful, sexy wine with exotic aromas of freshly cut flower, cherry and strawberry. Full body with fine, silky tannins. Long, fresh finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Brunello di Montalcino opens to soft layers of plush fruit and red cherry. The wine shows a ripe side to the vintage with bold fruit that is chewy and rich. Despite the wine's opulence, it never feels jammy or overdone. In fact, it reins in that extra sunshine with expert care and attention. In contrast to the richness of the bouquet, the medium-bodied mouthfeel is toned and exhibits less dimension overall. The appeal here is genuine and immediate.
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Wine Spectator
Cherry and plum flavors hold the upper hand until the long finish, where beefy tannins enter the fray. Spice, tobacco and earth accents chime in. Best from 2018 through 2028.
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.