Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red, notes of ripe red fruit(cherry, black cherry) with aromas of coffee and pepper. To accompany floral notes of rose and rosemary, followed by strong hint of licorice. Pleasant sweetness on the attack recalls the scents perceived by the nose. Ripe but at the same time round tannins which makes the wine pleasantly silky with a good persistence on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino immediately reminds you of the austerity and brawn inherent to this important category of wine. Brunello is released five years after the harvest precisely to allow complexity to develop in the bottle. That careful evolution has transpired nicely here. The wine shows dark plum and dried blackberry in a leading role, with spice, tar, tobacco and campfire ash at the back. The tannins are present but on the soft side, and the wine weighs in with medium-rich fruit weight.
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Wine Spectator
Sleek and focused, with a supple feel to the cherry, raspberry, hibiscus and chalky mineral flavors. Well-balanced, finishing with a crisp feel now that should stretch out nicely in time.
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James Suckling
Sour and cooked cherries, oranges, milk chocolate and red licorice. Fruity and succulent with a medium to full body and creamy tannins. Ripe and velvety finish. Drink or hold.
The Fanti Family has been producing wine and-extra virgin olive oil in Tuscany for nearly 200 years. In the 1970s, current owner Filippo first took over the Estate, marking a major turning point in its history. After redesigning and replanting across its 300 hectare property, an innovation-meets-tradition winemaking technique has resulted in extremely high-quality grape growing, all while avoiding any non-organic fertilizers. Eighty percent of the plantings in the vineyards are Sangiovese or Sangiovese Grosso, a focus that reinforces the family’s commitment to the quality wine of the region and which is reflected in Fanti’s highly rated Brunelli. Filippo’s daughter Elisa joined the team in 2007 and has since been instrumental in reinforcing their position in the international market.
When Filippo decided to reconfigure their 300 hectare property, he allocated 50 hectares to be grape vines, just half that of the olive grove. He apportioned other plots of the property to crops and woodlands in a layout that was designed to nurture the vineyards. With soil that is laden with limestone and clay, optimal daytime sun exposure and a nighttime thermal drop, the viniculture is carefully orchestrated to mirror the flavors and aromas of both the grape and the territory. The winery itself is partially built into a hill to reduce visual impact and protect the scenery.
Inside the winery, Filippo himself has carefully selected everything, from the sorting table, stainless steel vats and pumpover system to a very high standard of barrel selection. As a result, Fanti continues to produce hallmark Southern Montalcino wines with the help of their surrounding terroir and passion for making approachable wines for new wine makers and seasoned pros alike.
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.