Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Rosso di Montalcino is intense, showcasing its high-elevation Sangiovese fruit, as masses of crushed cherry and wild berries combine with pepper-tinged rose and grounding hints of worn leather. Despite its concentration, this is racy and energetic, with a core of bright acidity that enlivens its red berry fruits. The 2021 leaves a web of sweet tannins yet the mouth waters for more as a cascade of inner florals and hints of licorice linger on. Certainly enjoyable today, but I’d rather revisit the 2021 after another year in bottle.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The medium red 2021 Rosso Di Montalcino is expressive and leaps from the glass with bright red berries, cinnamon, dusty earth, and fresh flowers. The palate is inviting and juicy upfront, with a medium-bodied feel and a clean finish. It's a highly charming Rosso to drink now or over the next 4-5 years.
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.