Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The harvest date returned once more to that of tradition, commencing on 23 September – whereas these days it usually begins around 3 September. This could therefore be considered a fresh if not cool vintage, yet the long growing season helped the extraction of velvety tannins, concentrated on the mid-palate. The structure, combined with bright cassis notes, a core of cherry and crystalized violet, and savory minerality on the finish, will keep the wine in good shape for the long haul.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino is a brilliant bottle of wine and is another ripe, sexy, ready to go 2013 Brunello. This was a sunny, warm vintage that suffered from rain at harvest, yet the wines have loads of charm and accessibility, and they certainly don't lack for ripeness. This beauty boasts a medium ruby color as well as a fabulous bouquet of spiced red cherries, balsamic, incense, and licorice. It's medium to full-bodied, layered, ripe, and seamless on the palate, with nicely concealed oak and rock-solid underlying density and ripe tannins. It's a beautiful wine that has plenty of upfront appeal as well as upwards of two decades of longevity. Bravo!
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino lives up to the impeccable reputation garnered by this estate over the years. This is a profound and beautifully rendered Sangiovese that delivers bold and luscious fruit quality with black cherry and spicy plum at the start. The bouquet follows through with mild oak notes of smoke, tar and toasted nut. There is another aromatic component that includes crushed stone and dried herb or mint. This Brunello shows elegant evolution in the glass and promises a very long aging future ahead.
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Wine Spectator
This red strikes a nice balance between plum and cherry fruit and beefy tannins, featuring elements of leather, tobacco, earth and iron. Balanced and long, with a gripping finish. Best from 2022 through 2035.
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James Suckling
A Brunello with tile and berry character. Medium body, firm and silky tannins and a flavorful finish. A little tight now. Better in 2019.
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.