Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
This 2007 Brunello is a big, opulent pleasure bomb with lavish layers, loaded thickly on top of each other: Chocolate fudge, dark cherry, blackberry preserves, rum cake, prune, exotic spice, pipe tobacco, cola, hummus and leather. It shows huge personality, intensity and staying power too. All that density is backed by solid tannins and a steady firmness. Hold 10–15 more years.
Editors' Choice -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino bursts from the glass with freshly cut flowers, violets, leather, licorice and black cherries. Firm underlying tannins lend vibrancy to the voluptuous fruit. The Casanova di Neri straight bottling – sometimes referred to as the “white label” – is made from some of the estate’s cooler sites. In 2007 the wine has more depth, fruit and overall harmony than is typically the case. Bright acidity frames the long, polished finish. In short, this is a fabulous wine from Giacomo Neri. Along with the 2006, the 2007 is one the best and most complete vintages I can remember tasting in some time. Most importantly of all, though, it is flat-out delicious. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2027.
-
James Suckling
Dark berries and sliced lemons on the nose. Full body, with juicy fruit and lightly toasted. Delicious finish. Best in 2014.
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.