Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Delicately scented, this offers underbrush, pressed violet and wild berry aromas. It's medium-bodied and loaded with elegance, delivering crushed raspberry, Morello cherry, licorice and a hint of pipe tobacco set against taut, refined tannins. Bright acidity provides balance. It's a bit austere at this stage but will develop beautifully. Drink 2023–2043.
Cellar Selection -
Decanter
2013 was much cooler than preceding vintages, and Andrea waited until the beginning of October to harvest. He says it was a good year with plenty of structure, but felt it didn't have the longevity to merit making a Riserva. Indeed, rather than a voluble powerhouse this is an understated beauty. Tight and linear with lifted florals and a hint of orange, it has mouthwatering acidity and superb freshness, and will appeal to those who prize finesse.
-
Wine Spectator
Macerated cherry fruit holds the center of this elegant red, accented by grass, tobacco and earth flavors. Firm yet supple and elegant, this lingers with a touch of thyme. Best from 2021 through 2035.
-
Wine & Spirits
Costanti’s 2013 Brunello has a bright core of acidity that balances its densely concentrated flavors. The wine is bursting with flavors of juicy cherry and cassis, and packed with notes of dried basil and oregano that lend a Tuscan flair. Open it now if you like your wines brash and bold, or cellar it for at least five years to tame some of the flamboyance.
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.