Winemaker Notes
Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is produced only in the best years and in limited quantities. This wine comes exclusively from "I Paganelli" vineyard, the oldest vineyard on the estate, planted in 1964. These vines, used for sourcing the Sangiovese clones when new vineyards are planted, grow top quality grapes which are picked by individual selection of the best and ripest bunches.
Blend: 100% Estate Sangiovese
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli is huge, powerful and totally implosive. The seductive allure of the 2007 is nowhere to be found. Instead, the 2006 is built on a serious spine of formidable tannin and dark red/black fruit. Hints of tar, licorice, rose petals and tobacco inform the powerful, virile finish. The 2006 is going to require considerable patience, but it is clearly a jewel of a wine, even at this early stage. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2046.
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Wine Enthusiast
This vineyard-designated riserva delivers perfumed notes of red rose, pressed flower and a bright, berry-driven bouquet. In the mouth, this is a plump, bold wine with thick concentration and loads of dark fruit such as blackberry and plum. The tannic firmness suggests at least 10 years of cellar aging. Overall, it is beautiful, elegant and bold.
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James Suckling
A reserved decadence to this. Aromas of raspberry jam with hints of plums. Full body, with soft and round tannins and a fruity finish. Balanced and delicious.
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.