Winemaker Notes
Cerbaiona is situated in the middle region of the Montalcino appellation, representing the balance between southern Montalcino's ripe fruit characteristics and the north's fresher, more-structured reds.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is an absolutely distinctive wine and one unlike this producer has ever released. It feels radically different in terms of concentration, intensity and complexity. I was blown away by the beautiful and profound sense of inner harmony on display here. The wine puts on an epic showing of aromas that span from the simple ripe cherry and blackcurrant to the most ethereal tones of balsam herb, root beer and licorice. In between, are hearty aromas of cured tobacco and smoked meat. It really has it all along the entire Sangiovese spectrum. In the mouth, the wine offers similar complexity with thick extraction backed by sweet and sour layers of fruit and tannic structure. If you are looking for outstanding Brunello, look no further. This is one of the top three wines of the 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.