Winemaker Notes
Intense aromas of red fruits lead to a soft and elegant palate with notes of leather, earth and oak.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A perfumed and subtle 2017 with cherry, flower and light cedar aromas that follow through to a very soft, creamy palate with citrus, berry and cherry character and a fresh finish. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Classic Sangiovese aromas of ripe red berries, blue flowers, new leather and forest floor are front and center on this fantastic red. Taut and savory, the palate features juicy Morello cherry, crushed raspberry and licorice set against polished tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it bright.
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Vinous
Crushed ashen stone, smoky animal muskiness and savory herbs waft up from the 2017 Brunello di Montalcino. With time in the glass, it gains pretty depths and refreshing notes of dried roses and cherries. The textures are soft, verging on fleshy, yet nicely contrasted by a more refined mix of wild berries and minerals. There’s a salty flourish that mingles with hints of licorice and residual acids through the finale, giving an almost juicy feel, and a coating of fine tannins frames the expression well. The 2017 Casanuova delle Cerbaie is a very nice effort from a difficult vintage.
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.