Winemaker Notes
Vivid ruby red color. Bouquet Intense and fine bouquet on the nose with notes of wild blackcherry, violet and a slight vanilla undertone. Flavor on the palate it is well-balanced andelegant with a slight initial tannic note. Ideal with appetizers, first course dishes with meat sauces, stuffed pasta or casseroledishes and grilled red meats.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very ripe with a slight prune edge to the cherry and plum aromas. Full body, round and velvety tannins and a flavorful finish.
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.
This significant Tuscan village—not to be confused with the red grape of the same name widely grown in Abruzzo and the Marche regions—was home to one of the first four Italian DOCGs granted in 1980.
Based on the Sangiovese grape (here called Prugnolo Gentile), the village’s prized wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ranks stylistically in between Chianti Classico, for its finesse, and Brunello di Montalcino for its power. With a deep ruby color, heavy concentration and a firm structure given by the village's heavy, cool clay soils, most Vino Nobile di Montepulciano will demand some bottle age.