Winemaker Notes
Intense, vivid ruby–red color with aromas of red and black berries, maraschino cherry and eucalyptus. The aromas repeat on the palate with added hints of liquorice and tobacco. Tannins are firm and tightly woven and the juicy fruit is refreshed by a lively acidity that leads to a long, persistent finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Showing a heavier gait and footprint, the 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva will appeal to those who love the dark side of Brunello. The wine boasts dense richness and black fruit aromas with spice, leather and tar. What sets this Riserva apart, however, is that it never feels too heavy or jammy. That's the best part: You get a well balanced and pleasurable interpretation from a warm vintage.
Rating: 94+ -
Wine Spectator
Rich and full of cherry, strawberry, spice and tobacco flavors. Balanced, with a well-integrated structure, though not as complex as some of its peers. Stays fresh on the lingering finish. Best from 2021 through 2035.
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Wine Enthusiast
Pipe tobacco, leather, prune and camphor aromas pull together in the glass. The smooth full-bodied palate evokes dried black cherry, raspberry compote and licorice alongside polished tannins. Best after 2020.
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James Suckling
Very classic leather and cedary wood in an old-school style with dried, spiced red cherries. The palate has impressive presence through the middle as the tannins build firmness into the finish, carrying dried red cherry flavors. Try from 2021.
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.