Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of plums, flower and hints of asphalt follow through to a medium body, juicy and savory fruit and a flavorful finish. From organically grown grapes.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Brunello di Montalcino opens to a ripe and dark quality of fruit. These tones underline the slightly warmer growing conditions present on the southern side of the appellation where Col d'Orcia is located. That extra warmth is an important factor especially in a cool and soggy vintage such as 2014. This wine appears to have suffered less compared to its peers. The bouquet is layered with rich aromas of cured meat, spicy tobacco and moist potting soil that add to the weight and gravitas of the wine. This Brunello is compact and mid-weight in terms of texture. Some 200,000 bottles were produced.
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Wine & Spirits
Brisk acidity brings clarity to this wine’s black-cherry flavors and picks up notes of cranberry and orange blossom. That brightness is offset by notes of tobacco and damp leaves; raspy tannins pull the flavors together. Best Buy
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.