Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red with a garnet hue. The nose opens to notes of red and black berries, spices and herbs. The palate is full-bodied and fruity, with a consistent, dense and perfectly balanced tannin, followed by balsamic notes and a long, harmonious and gradual finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
There’s a cascade of dried florals here, ranging from rose petals to lilacs; the glazed strawberries and cherries are equally intense. So much power and ripeness to the full-bodied palate, but there’s a savory, stony flavor and texture that permeates the whole package. Long on the finish. Drink from 2024.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Showing a robust and beautifully saturated appearance, the Piancornello 2015 Brunello di Montalcino offers that classic Brunello bouquet that introduces earthy elements of leather and potting soil with dark plummy fruit. Those sweet and savory sides are expertly folded into each other, and the rich, concentrated fruit of the vintage helps to smooth out those flavors, adding overall intensity along the way. This is a terrific expression that faithfully reflects the beauty of Brunello. It is a lovely wine.
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.