Winemaker Notes
What a nose, dark peony petals mix with violet and scented notes of both fresh and dried cherry. These aromas travel straight to the brain on a lifted note of polished wood. The same aromatic allure becomes immediately apparent on the palate: cherry and fragrant petals enrobe and cushion the fine but utterly taut tannins. A very serious wine that poses a lovely counterpoint of poised structure and flowing, almost billowing elegance; stern and forgiving at once. Every nuance of aroma is illuminated by Sangiovese’s electric acidity. Even in age, when earthier, more savory notes come to the fore the floral, silky allure captures palate, mind and heart in one go
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Floral notes of fresh and dried violets and spicy cloves. This is a full-bodied red with juicy red fruit, spiced plums and hints of tea leaves. Firm but caressing tannins. So rich and polished at the same time. Drink after 2025 and beyond.
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Decanter
Filo di Seta sits at the foot of the Romitorio hill facing the revered Montosoli cru. A mix of Galestro, clay and limestone, the plot boasts a significant presence of surface quartz crystals. In the 2016, aromas are both savoury and floral with bay leaf and liquorice underpinned by lilac. It is fuller, denser and richer than the estate Brunello, with some youthful chocolatey oak, but it doesn’t sacrifice brightness. Packed with flavour and a long chewy finish, this just needs some time to integrate all of its elements.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Castello Romitorio 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Filo di Seta is beautiful in the way you would regard a contemporary painting awash in color, texture and broad brush strokes. It doesn't all line up at first glance, but then you are magically aware of the symmetry—between the lifted fruit aromas and the grounded spice and oak. The wine's various moving pieces come together in harmony. Thanks to its softly integrated tannins, it also shows great versatility in terms of its drinking window. You can enjoy it in the medium term or wait for later.
Rating: 95+ -
Wine Spectator
Bright cherry, currant, floral and almond flavors are shaded by spice and tobacco accents in this racy red. Though solid, packed with dusty tannins that leave an astringent impression on the resonant finish today, this features ample fruit. Best from 2025 through 2047.
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.