Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red color with light garnet reflections. On the nose there are hints of mall ripe red fruits flanked by elegant notes of balsamic and brushwood. The sip is long, intense and subtly tannic.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
The clarity in the aromas of crushed berries, violets, sandalwood, citrus rind and dried flowers is very attractive. It’s medium-bodied with tight, linear tannins and bright acidity that goes on for minutes. Chewy and focused.
-
Decanter
The first vintage of this selection, Diletta is a two-hectare vineyard named after owner Giovanna Neri’s daughter, Diletta, who was born in 1994 and now works alongside her mother. A wilder, earthier expression than the estate Brunello, it shows savoury leather, dark brambly berries and a touch of vanilla. Dusty tannins stick to the palate, especially on the finish, but a succulent undertow cleans out the mouth and the finish lingers with minerally notes. This begs for a grilled herb-crusted steak.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Diletta Brunello is noted by aromas of saddle leather, dried plum, tobacco, and tar. The palate has forward tannin, with dried tomato leaf, black cherry pit, and dusty, baked earth.
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.