Winemaker Notes
Caparzo's Brunello di Montalcino La Casa can be considered a true enological gem, and not just in terms of Montalcino. La Casa derives its name from having been the farm where some of the tenant farmers who worked for the owners of Palazzo Montosoli, which is at a distance of a few hundred meters, lived. The first vintage of Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casa was produced in 1977. At the time little was known of terroir, and little attention was paid to the concept of zonation, which had only recently been introduced to Montalcino. In this case Caparzo was once again a pace setter, producing a "Single Vineyard" Brunello from one of the finest vineyards in the Appellation. With Brunello di Montalcino La Casa, Caparzo also was one of the first wineries to introduce barriques to Montalcino, producing a wine with an polite, elegant spirit. Brunello di Montalcino Vigna La Casa is the fruit of a unique terroir, and expresses all of Caparzo's passion and experience in producing excellent wines.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
Grown on the Montosoli hill in the northeastern sector of Montalcino, this wine shows impressive freshness and verve for the hot and dry 2017 vintage. Notes of graphite and salinity cool the concentrated red and black cherry flavors as hints of licorice and fennel emerge. The wine gains energy after a few hours in the glass as the grippy, ferrous tannins begin to relax. Decant it an hour before serving with a grilled ribeye.
-
Wine Spectator
An intense, muscular red hallmarked by black currant, black cherry, stony mineral and sanguine flavors. Reveals a meaty character midpalate, with sinewy yet refined tannins holding court on the finish. Fine balance and length. Best from 2025.
-
Decanter
While Caparzo’s estate Brunello is fruity in its appeal, the Vigna La Casa bottling illustrates an earthier, more mineral countenance. It hails from the Montosoli cru, where proprietor Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini owns a 5ha south- to southeast-facing plot. In 2017, the grapes were brought in on 15 September. Restrained aromas show a brightness of red cherry deepened by cedar and forest floor. This echoes the soft structure of the regular Brunello but shows slightly more grip and verve. Notes of orange lend freshness and it finishes with a touch of flinty stone.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of woodland berries, rose and camphor waft out of the glass. The smooth, elegant palate offers ripe Marasca cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and a hint of ground clove. Fine-grained tannins provide gentle support before a rather drying close.
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.