Winemaker Notes
The colour is ruby red tending towards garnet, with typical red berry fruit opening out on the nose and in the mouth, mineral overtones, delicate spices, supported by generous acidity, restrained tannin and a long finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Beautiful red with floral and black-cherry aromas. So floral and perfumed for this hot and dry vintage. Full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that are energetic and long. Structured and manicured. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable now, but better after 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with certified-organic fruit, the La Magia 2017 Brunello di Montalcino reveals the ripeness and robust flavors that come naturally in this hot and dry vintage. That ripeness is well managed, and it appears as textural softness and creaminess more than anything else. Sangiovese's characteristic acidity keeps the wine from feeling heavy, and the palate is accented by cherry confit, Spanish cedar, cola and wild rose. The finish is a bit abrupt and simple.
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.