Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Exuding cherry, strawberry and floral flavors tinged with iron, earth and spice notes, this ripe red is elegant in profile, tightly wound and deftly balanced, ending with a kick of fruit, spice and mineral elements. Best from 2020 through 2037.
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Wine Enthusiast
Fruity aromas of wild red berry align with earthy notes of forest floor, new leather and fragrant purple flower. The smooth ripe palate offers juicy Morello cherry, star anise, orange zest and an earthy hint of game. It's savory and loaded with personality. Drink 2021–2028.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Lisini's 2013 Brunello di Montalcino opens to a delightful appearance that sees shades of garnet and dark ruby blend into one. The bouquet is sprightly and buoyant, thanks to a pretty ensemble of wild berry, licorice and grilled herb aromas. Those are mixed with heavier background tones of spice and leather. There is also a noticeable floral note of wild rose and dried jasmine. This is a silky and smooth Brunello with a hint of fresh acidity on the close.
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.