Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Black cherry, plum, smoke, bacon, leather and a drying touch of crushed mineral appear on the nose. This is a concentrated and rich Brunello with a bold, slightly sweet-smelling bouquet. The mouthfeel is compact, tight and polished—but there is excellent persistency too
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James Suckling
Aromas of blueberries and lemons, with hints of flowers. Turns to ripe raspberries. Full body, with firm tannins and fresh clean finish. Refined and pretty. Very bright acidity. Lively.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Castello Romitorio emerges from the glass with crushed flowers, sweet red berries, licorice, spices and tobacco. The fruit gains freshness and energy as the wine sits in the glass. Sweet floral notes add lift and brightness on the articulate finish. This is a refined, mid-weight Brunello that impresses for its elegance and class. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2027.
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.