Winemaker Notes
Brunello Ripe al Convento 2013 impresses with its rich ruby-red colour and garnet hues. Its charismatic personality emerges even more on the nose, offering a splendid and extremely wellstructured aromatic complexity. Clear notes of small black fruits, raspberries and candied orange peel are enriched by subtle balsamic scents of incense and tea leaf. On the palate, the wine develops with crisp fruit and extreme freshness. The dense tannic structure, with smooth, well-rounded tannins, gives it great balance and an extremely long, persistent finish
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
This has a regal feel with a wealth of ripe blueberries and a complex array of new leather, warm earth, terracotta and spice. The palate has concentration and depth with assertive, fine and long tannins delivering a long, unwavering impression on the palate, bathed in ripe red and dark-fruit flavors. Drink or hold.
-
Decanter
Castelgiocondo's Ripe al Convento vineyard sits at the same altitude and on similar soil as the Luce della Vite site. However, as it is southeast-facing it's less exposed to the afternoon sun. The outcome is a more austere, tense expression with herbal tea-leaf and violet notes. It's still shut down with abundant tannins, though they are long and finely powdered. Salty plum and thyme lurk in the background and tangy acidity cleanses the palate. A class act. Drinking Window 2021 - 2033
-
Wine Spectator
Broad and savory, with aromas and flavors of Mediterranean macchia and iron accenting the core of cherry and plum fruit. Shows an oak element of vanilla, which integrates after a few hours of aeration. Finishes firm and muscular. Best from 2022 through 2042.
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.