Winemaker Notes
The 2016 Rennina shows sweet aromas of spices, licorice, rosemary, juniper and bark. More intriguing hints rise from the glass a minute later: petals of rose, pomegranate, blueberry, candied orange, pencil lead and walnut. It is rich and graceful on the palate, showing a lively freshness, a skily texture, fine-grain tannins and a polished finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Some much shaved black truffles to the blackberry, walnut and chocolate undertones. It’s full-bodied and layered with chewy yet soft tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Smoke, mahogany and wet-earth undertones. Needs three or four years to soften and come together.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The Rennina is sourced from three different vineyard sites of different exposition. There are playful and fresh aromatics of primary red plum, cherry cola, and fresh Mediterranean herbs. Refined and supple tannins coat the palate with fresh black raspberry fruit, licorice, and dried violets. The 2016 has richness without weight, is well-balanced, and has a luxurious feel. There is an approachability now, though it will be well enjoyed over the next 15 years. 2022-2036.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Pieve Santa Restituta 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina (with 15,000 bottles produced) offers intensity and beautifully concentrated fruit. The bouquet reveals layers of wild cherry, rose, blue flower and candied orange peel. However, if you are expecting a more subdued Rennina, that's not what you get in this classic 2016 vintage. The wine is buzzing with energy and vitality, with a lifted and an especially brilliant set of aromas. You might also detect a hint of fresh peppercorn or coriander seed that gives the wine a veil of the exotic.
Rating: 95(+)
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.