Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Complex aromas of red fruits, flowers and fresh mushrooms follow through to a full body, with ultra-fine tannins and intense fruit and bright acidity. Goes on for a long, long time. So juicy and fruity. Hints of bitter lemon rind. Give this two or three years more of bottle age.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Pianrosso is fresher, more floral and more delineated than the straight Brunello bottling. There is plenty of Ciacci depth and muscle in the glass. Layers of dark red fruit, crushed flowers, licorice and spices wrap around the intense, deep finish. This is a huge wine with tons of 2007 Castelnuovo character, but also with enough freshness to balance out the wine’s more extroverted leanings. The 2007 is a big improvement over the 2006, which remains an underachiever relative to Ciacci’s historical track record of excellence. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2027.
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Wine Spectator
A mix of cherry, strawberry, earth, iron and dried beef aromas and flavors make this complex in a lighter style. Balanced between the fruit, moderate acidity and tannins. Very elegant. Best from 2014 through 2028.
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.