Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna del Fiore is another deep, dark wine. Menthol, sweet herbs, underbrush and wild cherries are some of the nuances that emerge from this decidedly muscular, powerful Brunello. The wine’s persistence and length are first-class. This is an impressive effort, but the tannins remain potent and a few additional years of bottle age seem warranted. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.
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Wine & Spirits
From a 14-acre vineyard planted in 1939, this is savory and earthy, with mushroom, tobacco and tarragon notes edging the bright red fruit. It rested for more than two years in large Slavonian oak casks and feels very Old World in style, with brisk tannins that will make a good partner for mushroom risotto.
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Wine Spectator
A rich, powerful red, with lots of plum, light raisin and coffee aromas and flavors. A little chewy now. Should mellow with some bottle age. Best after 2010.
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James Suckling
A delicious wine now, with chocolate, berry and hints of cedar. Dried mushrooms too. Full, but a little dry. It's still outstanding.
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.