Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Le Chiuse Brunello is layered with black cherry, leather, sage, and forest floor. The palate is full-bodied and fruit-forward, with fresh fig, tomato leaf, warming amaro spice, and dark-mineral earth. Its structure is generous with ripe tannin and fresh acidity and does not feel weighed down by the warmth of the vintage. Another incredible, classic, and savory wine from the Le Chiuse estate worthy of enjoyment over many years. 2023-2040.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of woodland berry, new leather, blue flower and a baby powder shape the enticing nose on this fragrant red. Juicy and bright, the polished, delicious palate doles out crushed raspberry, cherry compote and baking spice alongside taut, refined tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it balanced while a licorice note graces the finish.
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James Suckling
Wonderful aromas of blueberries, lavender, violet and sandalwood. Full-bodied, extremely balanced and refined with beautifully polished tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Shows tension and focus. Complexity, too. Lovely length to this. Better to start drinking after 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Le Chuise 2015 Brunello di Montalcino opens to a slightly shy and timid bouquet. My feeling is that this reticent quality will serve the wine very well as it continues the course of its aging. The bouquet shows mild fruit with some potting soil, leather, tar and licorice. This Brunello from Le Chiuse is definitely characterized by a savory side as well with a pretty point of saltiness that you don't commonly find in its peers. This is a true beauty—the wine is elegant, shiny and glossy from the inside out. Fruit comes from an eight-hectare parcel with vines that are 26 years old.
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Wine Spectator
A beam of black cherry and black currant fruit is at the heart of this red. Supple and balanced, this stays long and complex on the finish, as earth, iron and sanguine notes emerge. A dense swath of tannins lines the finish. Best from 2022 through 2040.
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.