Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the undeniable successes of the vintage. Dark cherries, violets, tar and licorice are just some of the nuances that emerge from this plush, fruit-driven Brunello. The wine remains wonderfully soft and generous all the way through to an enveloping finish that invites a second taste. The freshness here makes me think the wine will develop nicely in bottle. This is wonderful juice! La Poderina ages their Brunello in cask (60%) and French oak (40%) for the first year, followed by a second year done entirely in cask followed by 18 months in bottle. Readers can also look forward to a 2005 Riserva Poggio Banale that has already been bottled. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.
This year the highlights at La Poderina are without question the Brunellos.
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Wine Enthusiast
This ruby-colored Brunello offer a distinct mineral accent that is surrounded by fruity tones of wild berries, cassis and cherry cola. There's also a meaty or smoky quality here that gives the wine more heft and determination in the mouth. Drink it with grilled sausage.
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Wine Spectator
Shows intense aromas of tangerine peel and blueberry. Medium- to full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, racy finish. Still fresh and reserved. Best after 2011.
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.