Winemaker Notes
An intense fruity nose that here at Le Potazzine we love to describe as “fancy”. In the mouth is very varietal, with notes of black-fruits supported by a well-balanced acidity, which enhances the freshness and the drinkability of this Brunello, as well as promising a very long shelf-life in the bottle.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of crushed mint, pressed rose and perfumed berry mingle with warm spice in this dazzling red. Thanks to some of the highest vineyard altitudes in the denomination, it boasts vibrancy and finesse in its flavors of ripe black cherry, juicy blood orange, licorice and crushed mint. Taut, elegant tannins and fresh acidity keep it balanced and focused. Drink 2025–2032.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The ladies of Le Potazzine make a terrific bottle of Brunello, and their high-elevation vineyards are especially important in maintaining freshness in a scorching-hot vintage such as this. The 2017 Brunello di Montalcino offers a pretty succession of wild berry, cherry and plum aromas, along with light spice, crushed flowers and perfumed potting soil. This wine is also distinguished by a touch of bay leaf and maybe a warmer note of cured tobacco as well. This is an impressive effort (with 16,000 bottles released).
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Decanter
Le Potazzine is run by Gigliola Giannetti and her daughters Viola and Sofia. Viola started taking over winemaking responsibilities in 2017 at the age of 24. She continues with the estate’s long-established approach of spontaneous fermentations in open top vats, lengthy macerations, no filtering and low SO2. I always find the wines a bit wild at first before an intense purity comes through. The 2017 reveals balsamic notes of sun-dried thyme and herb flowers before floral accents take over. It's a relatively powerful expression for Le Potazzine but ultimately expresses the property’s signature elegance. Grainy, sandy tannins wrap around ripe strawberry fruit, leading to a lingering finish of potpourri and orange.
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James Suckling
Blackberry, black-cherry and mushroom aromas. The palate is full-bodied with slightly chewy tannins, but it remains polished and lively. Berry, earth and bark in the finish. Give this a couple of years to open up. Try after 2023.
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Wine Spectator
Lively, offering cherry, strawberry, plum, earth and wild herb aromas and flavors. A dense array of tannins provides support, leaving a burly impression on the finish. Fine balanced and length.
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.