Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Complex aromas of walnuts, almonds, cedar, plums, chocolate and aniseed. Full and chewy with a beautiful finish of fruit, parmigana and berries. Lasts for minutes. SO right now.
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Wine Enthusiast
This shows bright Sangiovese tones of crisp berry and forest floor, followed by subtle touches of spice, leather, black licorice, dried ginger and rosemary. The true character and freshness of the Sangiovese fruit comes through loud and clear.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is an attractive wine laced with sweet red cherries, tobacco, flowers, mint and licorice. The 2006 is an especially refined, subtle Riserva that impresses for its class and elegance. Caparzo gave the 2006 Riserva three years in Slavonian and French oak casks. This is a strong showing from Caparzo. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. This is another strong showing from Caparzo, a historic estate that seems to be making a comeback after a period of good but not great wines.
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Wine & Spirits
A big brunello, this is stuffed with black tannins that give an iron oxide edge to the fruit. Its tart red fruit flavors come up in the end and last in a smoky trail of cherries. Potent, bright and concentrated, this has the lean curves of sangiovese, set to develop finesse as it ages.
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Wine Spectator
This elegant red is harmonious, exhibiting plum and cherry notes, with dense yet integrated tannins carrying the finish. Very supple overall, with a spicy aftertaste. Best from 2013 through 2025.
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.