Winemaker Notes
La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino is known and valued for its special elegance and pleasant aromas; extremely aromatic, soft and velvety to taste, aged in the bottle for at least eight months.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Now we're talking. I tasted the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino after tasting the other samples from La Gerla, and it's amazing how clearly and convincingly that brawny Brunello character comes through. This is a robust and precise wine that shows dark berry fruit, red currant, spice, licorice and grilled herb. I love the way that all that beautiful Sangiovese intensity comes together with immediate focus and clarity.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Riserva is ripe with kirsch, blackberry, licorice, and sage. The palate is savory with amaro, medicinal herbs, and dried orange peel. There is more ripeness and less austerity than in the 2016. though it still has grippy, youthful tannin that will benefit from cellar time. Drink 2024-2038.
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Wine Spectator
Black cherry and black currant fruit is accented by tobacco, earth and mineral flavors in this sleek yet dense red. Balsamic elements of juniper, thyme and olive add depth as this cruises to a long finish. The potential lies in the excellent length. Best from 2023 through 2042.
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James Suckling
Lots of raspberry coulis, dried redcurrants and red-plum compote here. The medium-to full-bodied palate has fleshy and succulent appeal with juicy tannins and a fruit-forward finish. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of wild berry, violet, new leather and star anise fill the glass. Firm and boasting finesse, the linear palate features ripe Morello cherry, mature cranberry, licorice and dried Mediterranean spice set against taut polished tannins. It closes on a roasted coffee bean note. Drink 2022–2027.
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.