La Magia Ciliegio Brunello di Montalcino 2016
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James
Suckling
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This is the absolute pinnacle or "cherry" of La Magia's winemaking skills, produced with grapes from the oldest vines, all at least 40 years old, enhanced by a terrain that is low in fertility but maximizes concentration. The wine is named after one of the two cherry trees on either side of the vines, a magnificent specimen that identifies the vineyard from a considerable distance.
With its freshness and complexity, this wine has pronounced mineral undertones. A statement of concentration and elegance that only the Sangiovese grape can deliver, when grown in its ideal environment.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A tight, powerful red with lots of black-cherry, vanilla, dark-chocolate and walnut-shell aromas and flavors. It’s full, tight and tannic with loads of fruit, which is reserved and tight under the tannins. Needs three to four years to open. Try after 2024.
In 2011, Harald Schwarz handed the baton to his son Fabian, who had attended the Istituto Agrario San Michele all’Adige, the most prestigious oenological college in Italy, where students benefit from incomparable teaching staff with a commitment to research and development. This professional training equipped Fabian to become the driving force at La Màgia, responsible for the agronomy and wine-making policy of the estate, as well as handling the entire commercial and marketing side of the business.
Meanwhile, the next generation, are already showing a keen interest which certainly bodes well for the future.
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.