Winemaker Notes
To the eye, it is a brilliant ruby red. In a particularly good year like 2019, the Brunello di Montalcino di Castelgiocondo reveals extraordinary elegance in a wine that is particularly complex and intense on the nose. At first, it has a distinctly fruity bouquet, with clear hints of blackberry, accompanied by various other woodland berries. The floral notes of violet and wild rose are omnipresent in Brunello di Castelgiocondo. Spicy, straight, fresh, with hints of cocoa beans and undergrowth alongside nutmeg and the inevitable varied spicy sensations. On the palate, its tannic texture is very dense and supported by a generous body, in a very satisfying balance of flavors. The finish is very long with a touch of licorice root.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Black cherries, black bark, blackberries and lavender. Medium- to full-bodied with juicy and polished tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Needs four or five years to open and come together. Best after 2027.
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Decanter
Among Montalcino’s biggest estates and the largest with organic certification, Castelgiocondo stretches out between Camigliano and Tavernelle in the denomination’s southwest. The Brunello is complied from plots between 350 to 450 metres high on predominantly schistous Galestro. Focused and expressive, the nose exhibits an intriguing mix of red cherry, plum, nutmeg and mint. There is a lusciousness to the layers of generous fruit and suede-like texture to the tannins. Sweet earth and forest undertones permeate. Well-made with everything effortlessly in place.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino pours a saturated ruby color and is ripe with aromas of black cherry, toasted cedar, balsamic herbs, and licorice. Full-bodied, it’s open knit and approachable, with ripe tannins, a balanced structure, and a lot of charm. It’s hearty and drinking well now, although it should hold up nicely over the coming 8-10 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Frescobaldi 2019 Brunello di Montalcino CastelGiocondo has oaky notes, dried spice, redwood and cured tobacco. At its core, the wine shows dark fruit and a thick level of extraction. The tannins are soft and resolved, setting this Brunello up for an immediate drinking window. The wine is exactly where you want it to be, especially if served across from a steak and baked potato.
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Wine Spectator
This substantial red is as savory as it is fruity, boasting cherry, plum, leather, wild thyme, woodsy underbrush, iron and tobacco notes. Burly, with dusty tannins guarding the lingering finish. Best from 2027 through 2043.
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.