Winemaker Notes
#12 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2021
Complex on the nose, with distinctive nuances of ripe red fruit and spices such as black pepper and licorice. The same ripe red fruits continue on the palate, accompanied by vanilla notes. Very long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Broad and mouthfilling, exuding floral, black cherry, blackberry, graphite and stony mineral flavors. Powerful, yet reined in by the vivid acidity, with tannins that are refined and well-integrated. Shows terrific balance and length.
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James Suckling
Aromas of sweet berries and orange peel with some dried flowers. It’s medium-bodied with very fine tannins and a succulent finish. Nice citrus undertone here.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Poggio Landi sources grapes from three vineyard locations across the region, Montosoli, La Crociona and Castelverdelli. The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino has aromas of dried red plum, cedar, and pine resin. The palate has a profile of dried cherry, tomato leaf, and Mediterranean herbs, with refreshing acidity and drying tannins. The 2016 Brunello was aged for 38 months in large French oak.
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.