Winemaker Notes
On the nose, dark peony petals mix with violet, both fresh and dried cherry, and 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.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Taking on a bit more depth, the 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino Filo Di Seta is also more forward with aromas of cherry lozenge, menthol, licorice, and sage. It is more refined on the palate than the nose would suggest at first, with a gentle arch of black raspberry, fresh earth, and polished leather. It is balanced with a lovely core of fruit that is seamless with its structure of fine tannins, and graceful freshness of acidity, while taking on a bit more warmth on the finish. These wines are with scalloped edges, and they are well-tailored.
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James Suckling
Complex and sophisticated with seamless layers of ripe and dried cherries, truffles, caramel, dried flowers, nutmeg, chocolate orange and cassis. It’s full-bodied, layered and polished, with firm tannins that are well integrated. Long and elegant. Delicious already but better after 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This wine is rapidly becoming one of the most interesting vineyard selections to emerge from the Montalcino appellation thanks to the cool microclimate and black slate-like soils of the site. The Castello Romitorio 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Filo di Seta is a wine of unique dimension and depth. It shows tart, almost crunchy red fruit and cassis, with background notes of cola, balsam herb, crushed stone and pencil shavings. The tannins need another two or three years to become silky. The wine ages in oak for 30 months, and production is limited to 7,300 bottles in this vintage.
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Wine Spectator
A rich, concentrated red, expressing plum, cherry, earth, iron and tobacco aromas and flavors. Shows sweetness from the ripe fruit midpalate, along with a balanced, harmonious texture. Features fine length backed by vibrant acidity and refined tannins. Best from 2025 through 2043.
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Decanter
Originally planted in the late '80s with a variety of clones, Filo di Seta sits at lower elevations with respect to Romitorio’s other plots. The soil here is also richer in clay. The result is typically a riper and denser expression compared to the classic Brunello, which is indeed the case here. Plush cherry and plum are dusted with allspice and nutmeg, and there's a seductive trace of chocolate on the palate that I often find in this wine, along with polished oak. Already open and accessible though not without a solid backbone, this should dole out its copious charms steadily over the next decade.
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.