Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Ripe berry, sunbaked earth, cured meat and grilled herb are some of the aromas that meld together in the glass. The juicy, delicious palate offers layers of juicy Morelllo cherry, crushed raspberry, cinnamon, licorice and tobacco. Hearty, velvety tannins provide the framework and lend a smooth texture. Drink 2018–2030.
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Wine Spectator
Offers a core of cherry fruit, singed by iron, tobacco, leather and underbrush notes, backed by lively acidity and formidable tannins. Long, but finishes on the dry side. Best from 2018 through 2030.
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James Suckling
A lean and chewy Brunello with dark berries, orange peel, earth and spices. Full-bodied, chewy and tannic. Needs a couple years to soften.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Of all the wines presented by Mocali from both the 2011 and the 2010 vintages, this wine is the most unique. The bouquet of the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is noticeably different from the wines made from the Vigna delle Raunate cru. There's more dusty earth, terracotta and crushed mineral in this sharply delineated wine. Beyond those characteristics are dark aromas of black fruit and spice. This is a determinedly masculine and muscular wine from a very powerful vintage.
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.