Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A tight and compressed ripe wine with spices, berries and ripe fruit. Medium body, a solid core of fruit and a long and flavorful finish. Subtle and structured. Drink in 2020.
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Wine Spectator
Rich, full of cherry and raspberry fruit and augmented by tobacco, spice and mineral flavors. Harmonious and long, this has all the elements to age well and develop greater complexity and nuance. Best from 2020 through 2033.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Loreto sees fruit sourced from a vineyard site located on a sunny, east-facing slope just in front of the new winery. The well-draining limestone soils make for even ripening of fruit and contribute to the wine's rich suppleness. Dried cherry and blackberry segues to spice, cured leather, tar and cola. The wine is darkly concentrated and powerful. One thing I noticed is that Vigna Loreto gives the impression of offering less acidity and overall sharpness compared to the Brunello annata. For that reason, I prefer the base Brunello in 2012 by a tiny margin.
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Wine Enthusiast
Underbrush, new leather, truffle and chopped herb aromas take shape in this full-bodied red. The palate is brawny, offering macerated cherry, coffee and licorice flavors, framed by chewy tannins. You'll also notice an alcoholic heat on the finish. Drink 2018–2023.
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.