Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Thanks to the impressive complexity here, you can easily attribute a long list of adjective to describe the nose of this elegant Brunello. Cherry, cassis, church incense, lavender and dried violets all come to mind. Tight tannins and a touch of astringency will soften with more time in the bottle.
Cellar Selection -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino is surprisingly dark and heavy in this vintage. Black fruit, leather, licorice and spices are some of the nuances that emerge from the glass. As delicious as this is, the typical Lisini pedigree and elegance doesn’t come through to the extent it usually does. Ultimately the 2006 Brunello is a rather ponderous wine from this historic property. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020.
-
Wine Spectator
Tasting of sweet cherry and berry fruit, this rich Brunello maintains a sense of grace. There's a supple texture up front, with grainy tannins ushering in the finish. Best from 2012 through 2023. 2,500 cases imported.
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.