Winemaker Notes
Enjoy with game, grilled red meats and mature cheese.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
What a tightly knit wine this is with so much fabulous character of dried meat, orange peel, berry and spice. Dried and dusty earth too. Full body, sweet fruit character and ripe tannins but loads of structure and intensity. Structurally intense and dry at the finish. It goes on for minutes. Best ever.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Mastrojanni's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino marks a gorgeous effort that excels beautifully in terms of intensity, finesse and balance. The wine shows seamless integration of bright fruit tones that are characteristic of the vintage, with savory spice (it is aged in botte grande for three years), tight tannins and bright acidity. In other words, this is textbook 2010 Brunello in all its glory. That sense of harmony is impeccable. The best asset is what the future will bring. You can count on this Brunello to age 10 to 20 years. Mastrojanni has reached new heights with this stellar base Brunello and I can't wait to taste the vineyard-designate expressions when they are ready.
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Wine Spectator
Plush and round, with plum, leather, licorice and savory elements fused to the burly tannins. There's adequate acidity here, keeping this fresh and focused on the long finish. Needs time. Best from 2019 through 2036. 3,000 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of meat juices, underbrush, savory spice and a whiff of espresso open this structured wine. The vibrant palate offers dried Morello cherry, fleshy raspberry, ground pepper, grilled herb and tobacco alongside bracing but fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Hold for more complexity. Drink 2018–2030.
Mastrojanni has been writing history with its wines since 1975, collecting awards from all over the world. Today, thanks to an exceptional terroir and men who have believed in it for decades, Mastrojanni has become one of the most respected Montalcino producers. The Mastrojanni winery lies in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, in the south eastern most corner of Montalcino Municipality, in the Province of Siena. An artistic and architectural heritage, surrounded by the majesty of its natural landscapes and, above all, an area particularly suitable for vine cultivation: the homeland of Brunello. A strong identity, coherence and consistency in quality: these are the values that Mastrojanni has created and cultivated over the years and which enabled the company to stand out among its peers, with its original and high-quality profile. These values are the result of a passionate, proud and respectful interpretation of nature, tradition and history of the territory.
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.