Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Fossacolle has produced an excellent set of new releases. At the top of the list is the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino, which exhibits a spectacular level of inner balance and positive energy. There is a level of aromatic happiness or brightness here that denotes carefully ripened Sangiovese grapes. In other words, you can taste that the fruit has not been stressed by adverse weather conditions. The 2013 vintage is indeed harmonious across the board, and this wine demonstrates that fact.
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Wine & Spirits
Sergio Marchetti and his family became owners of this small estate near Tavernelle, southwest of Montalcino, when the former owner gifted the land to him. Marchetti continues to manage the ten vineyard acres while his son-in-law, Adriano Bambagioni, makes the wines. The estate’s 2013 Brunello is immensely appealing, plush with soft cherry fruit and tarragon notes wrapped in fine, firm tannins. The wine takes on notes of damp earth and subtle spices as it sits in the glass, feeling cool and balanced.
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James Suckling
Aromas of cherry, coffee and orange peel follow through to a medium to full body, round and velvety tannins and a juicy finish. A delicious wine already but needs a year or two to come together.
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.