Winemaker Notes
2019 was a 5-star vintage for the Consorzio del Brunello. Solid garnet color. The nose opens with aromas of cherries and plum with nice floral and forest notes, followed by meaty hints of sweet spices. Lip-smacking and juicy on the palate, with notes of tangerine peel, red plums and strawberries, along with very elegant tannins and a good vertical structure, savoury and tasty at the back. A very long orange and chocolate finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Black cherries and flowers, such as roses on the nose. Medium to full body with firm, silky tannins and a clear finish. Very al dente. Drink after 2027.
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Decanter
This Brunello is an assemblage of plots in two distinct sectors: fruit from Montalcino’s warmer, southeastern reaches near Castelnuovo dell’Abate gives density and mid-palate weight with grainy, mouth-filling tannins, while the cooler, more elevated sites around the town of Montalcino itself seem to brighten and lift the whole. From start to finish, the enchanting perfumes of the vintage pervade. Juniper, cedar, pressed rose and candied mint follow through to the palate, where juicy watermelon and strawberry take hold. It finishes with an appetising bitter herbal twistm, and while this is hard to resist, another year in the bottle will bring further cohesion.
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Wine Enthusiast
Cherries and red plums bloom into peonies in topsoil with a whisper of fennel on the nose. Cherries, strawberries and raspberries make a very berry-rich palate, with more earth and then dark chocolate on the finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Il Palazzone 2019 Brunello di Montalcino reveals dark cherry, baked blackberry pie, spice, cola and dried flower. These aromas are delivered in swells of bold intensity that give the wine a more monotone approach. The intensity is there in full force, and the finer nuances of Sangiovese come through intermittently. The tannins are velvety, and the wine ends with rich fruit weight. It ages in large oak casks for 31 months, and 17,306 bottles were made.
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Wine Spectator
This powerful red is tempered by a fleshy texture and fresh profile. Offers cherry, plum, eucalyptus and mineral flavors aligned with dense, burly tannins. This stays focused and long, though its balance tips toward the tannic side. Best from 2027 through 2042. 1,475 cases made, 500 cases imported.
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.