Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesThis was one of those idyllic summers in Tuscany that radiated with golden sunsets and the sweet smell of sun-scorched grass. True to form, this wine delivers a good blend of intensity, power and dark fruit concentration. The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino mirrors the ideals of the vintage, showing the warmth and sunshine of the growing season. The fruit was picture-perfect in the vineyards, with beautifully intact clusters and dark vinous colors. That quality is reflected here in the wine's bright primary aromas and its soft, velvety tannins. This is a friendly companion to a pappardelle with cinghiale. Rating: 91+
Scorched earth, new leather, dried botanical herb and mature black-skinned berry aromas slowly emerge in the glass. The full-bodied palate doles out fleshy Marasca cherry, ripe black plum, licorice and dried sage alongside solid but velvety tannins. Showing the heat of the vintage, it’s already almost accessible but still offers several years of sipping pleasure. Drink 2022 through 2027
The Villa S. Restituta farm is one of the oldest in the community of Montalcino. For many centuries it's a property of the Castelli Martinozzi family as testify the chapel joined to the landlord's villa where the ancestors of different generations found their burial, the stem on the main gate and the ancient clock turret whose strikes echoed for centuries in the surrounding valley.
The constructions that compose the farm have been guaranteeing from the distant past the realization of all rural and handicraft activities which made it autonomous and till the fifties in a small suburb resided the farmer, farmer's wife and other families: all in all around 50 people. Also being situated within the borders of the property they guaranteed various powers. Here the vine and the olive have always been cultivated with much care as they supply the products of great value.
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.
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.