Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Wonderfully aromatic and fresh with plum, flower and citrus character. Medium to full body, firm and silky tannins and a delicious finish. So much finesse. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Loads of balsamic aromas and flavors-juniper, rosemary, thyme, olive-along with cherry, sanguine and tobacco notes are the hallmarks of this intense red. Well-integrated and complex, building to a long aftertaste. Best from 2012 through 2035.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Canalicchio di Sopra is high on my shortlist of favorite producers in Montalcino. The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino is a sumptuous wine made according to carefully considered criteria. Every step of the winemaking process represents a selection of sorts, culminating in an expression of extremes. The precision, the focus and the pristine nature of the aromas cannot be exaggerated. It is such a pleasure to taste a wine of this caliber and distinction. Aromas of dark fruit and savory spice find seamless integration. Background tones of balsam herb, cola and licorice add a superior level of complexity. In the mouth, the wine is polished, fine and silky. The mouthfeel is thinner compared to 2011 and 2010. Otherwise, this is a fabulously elegant Brunello.
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Wine Enthusiast
Wild berry, dark spice and Mediterranean herb aromas lift out of the glass, accented by a whiff of new leather. The enveloping, full-bodied palate doles out fleshy black cherry, star anise, pipe tobacco and cinnamon notes, framed by chewy tannins. Drink 2020–2027.
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.