Lisini Brunello di Montalcino Ugolaia 2013
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Grapes with a marked characteristic, good consistency of skin and excellent concentration in the pulp that give rise, through careful vinification treatments to Brunello Ugolaia, fermented for 18/20 days in barrels of 6 to 15 Hl.
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Decanter
Ugolaia is a 1.7ha southwest-facing plot that looks out toward the sea, where temperature swings between day and night are significant. Here, the estate's oldest vines grow on red irony soil. This wine is not produced every vintage, but it clearly made sense in 2013 when neither Lisini's Riserva nor the regular Brunello suffered, and the Ugolaia demonstrated why it's a special site. It's still very backward but all is in place in this deftly sculpted Brunello. Nuances of wild cherry, lavender, moist soil and balsamic herbs emerge little by little. The tannins are assertive but fully ripe and sophisticated, demonstrating the wine's breed. This is concentrated yet vibrant, with appetising saline and iron notes resonating on the long finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Lisini 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolaia is a special wine that has been off my radar for a number of years. I'm happy to see it again. Ugolaia represents a special selection of fruit, and the results portray a thick and intense expression with more extraction compared to the other wines I tasted from this estate this year. Dark plum, dried fruit, tobacco, potting soil and dark licorice rise slowly from the glass. The tannins are softly integrated within the thick fruit fiber of the mouthfeel.
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Wine Spectator
A sleek, elegant style, this displays cherry, currant, iron and tobacco aromas and flavors. Firm and taut, with a long, detailed finish. Drink now through 2036.
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2017-
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Located a few miles south of Montalcino itself, at Sant'Angelo in Colle, the fourteenth-century towered villa is steeped in one of the appellation’s most beautiful and "wildest" landscapes, surrounded only by woodland and vineyards at an altitude of 1312 feet above sea level. Typically built in stone and terracotta tiles, the villa itself blends into this natural backdrop with a harmony that is all Tuscan. The Lisini estate, covering a total of 380 acres and comprising one of the finest, most historical crus in the Montalcino appellation, has been in the Lisini family since the early 1700s. Under the tutelage of Elina Lisini, this superb terroir has fulfilled its exceptional promise. Located in the hills a little south of Montalcino itself, overlooking the Orcia valley (an area conducive to full, potent Brunellos), it was one of the very first to produce and bottle this noble wine. The vineyards now cover almost 49 acres and include the high-rising, 3.7- acre cru of Ugolaia. Lisini's unique soil, together with state-of-the-art vinification, yield a model Montalcino range.
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.