Winemaker Notes
Vino Nobile has a ruby red color of good concentration, intense aroma with evident fruity notes and hints of wild berries, cherry and vanilla. In the mouth is full and round, persistent with a good tannic component.
It is a classic pairing with roasted red and white meats, all the cheeses among which it prefers the "Pecorino di Pienza".
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Crushed blackberries mix with grilled herbs, a whiff of smoke and cocoa as the 2016 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano forms in the glass. This is in fine form, radiant and juicy in personality, with red plums and hints of brown spice that swirl across a wave of silken textures. Nuances of black tea and mocha combine with adolescent tannins and a lifting tinge of sour citrus as this finishes remarkably fresh and long yet still structured. One could easily drink this today, yet there are many years of positive evolution in store for patient collectors.
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Wine Enthusiast
Floral aromas of violet and rose mingle with underbrush and ripe black-skinned fruit on the 100% Sangiovese. Polished and linear, the savory palate delivers juicy black cherry, raspberry, licorice and tobacco while smooth tannins offer elegant support. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced and bright. Drink through 2026.
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.
This significant Tuscan village—not to be confused with the red grape of the same name widely grown in Abruzzo and the Marche regions—was home to one of the first four Italian DOCGs granted in 1980.
Based on the Sangiovese grape (here called Prugnolo Gentile), the village’s prized wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ranks stylistically in between Chianti Classico, for its finesse, and Brunello di Montalcino for its power. With a deep ruby color, heavy concentration and a firm structure given by the village's heavy, cool clay soils, most Vino Nobile di Montepulciano will demand some bottle age.