Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino 2010
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James Suckling
Wonderful texture to this Brunello with so much dried-fruit, chalk, stone, salt and light chocolate character. Full body with fine tannins and bright acidity that deliver a complete package of beauty and elegance. Better in 2016.
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Wine Enthusiast
Firmly structured and elegant, this offers aromas of pressed rose, violet, menthol, savory herb and woodland berry. The palate is still closed but reveals crunchy red cherry, oak, mint and sage alongside youthfully austere tannins that need time to unfold. Drink 2017–2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is aged for 41 months in large oak casks to produce nicely evolved aromas of dried cherry, smoked ham, prune, plum, licorice and grilled herb. The wine shows well both in terms of intensity and purity of varietal fruit and that slow oxidative process in wood has allowed for extra aromatic depth and definition. After a few minutes in the glass, the wine warms to show fruit-heavy flavors of cherry and forest fruit. The is a Brunello of elegance and poise that should hold well for the next decade or longer.
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Il Palazzone was founded in the 1980s. The estate has three separate vineyards in three distinct areas of Montalcino. The highest elevation vineyard, Le Due Porte, is located next to the cellar, very close to the town of Montalcino. Two older vineyards are near Castelnuovo dell’Abate. In total we have 5 hectares/ 12 acres under vine, all Sangiovese.
Each vineyard is tended separately and picked, vinified and aged alone. The extraordinary variety of terroir and microclimate result in having three complimentary aspects of Montalcino represented in the final Brunello which is blended across the three vineyards.
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.