Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red color. The nose expresses notes of ripe red fruits, floral aromas of violets, forest undergrowth and finishes with pleasant hints of aromatic wood. In the mouth it is warm, with a dense texture and persistence. San Polo's Brunello Vignavecchia is perfect for long aging and improves in the bottle, thanks to the characteristics of the land it comes from.
The elegance and harmonious structure of this wine are excellent with red meats, wild game including fowl, more elaborate dishes, and even mushrooms and truffles. Excellent with cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano and Tuscan pecorino.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This shows old-vine character of mushroom and bark that leads to red fruit and black cherry flavors. It’s full-bodied with firm and chewy tannins that are polished and very long. It’s tannic yet not overly so and maintains integrity and focus.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
San Polo's 2017 Brunello di Montalcino Vignavecchia is packaged with a black label and carries a certification for organic farming. This appears to be the most powerful of the wines in this flight (with 14.5% alcohol), and it has a dark garnet appearance and a full-bodied mouthfeel. However, this wine is very different than the others in that it presents a much sweeter, fruit-forward bouquet and it does not deliver the same balsam intensity that we saw in the Podernovi. Those herbal notes are present, but the is ample fruit to soften them out.
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Decanter
Vignavecchia is a 2ha plot planted in 1989. The steep, southwest-facing vineyard bears small berries with thick, crunchy skins. Concentration is evident immediately on the nose, offering up dark plum, currant and black cherry laced with an exotic smoky accent. The palate is dense and still slightly cinched through the core, with youthful wood tannins that could do with another year to fully integrate. Overall, it's a heady and seductive Brunello aged in a combination of new and used lightly-toasted 600-Litre French tonneaux.
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Wine Enthusiast
Initially shy, this eventually reveals aromas of forest floor, violet, camphor and leather. The tightly wound palate offers steeped prune, coconut, licorice and espresso set against close-grained tannins that leave a drying close. Give the tannins a few years to unwind, then drink sooner rather than later.
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Wine Spectator
A savory version, boasting juniper, eucalyptus and rosemary flavors, with notes of cherry and orange peel. Compact, bordering on rustic with burly tannins lining the finish. Best from 2025 through 2038.
In an effort to employ environmentally sound and sustainable agriculture, natural compost and nitrogen-rich plants have replaced the chemical treatments in the San Polo vineyards. Picturesque olive groves and a magnificent farmhouse enrich the property with genuine Tuscan charm, while the modern, underground winery and cellar provide the best environment and technology for state-of-the-art winemaking. San Polo is a beautiful estate located in the southeastern part of Montalcino at 1,300 feet above sea level overlooking the Sant’Antimo Valley and Mount Amiata. It comprises 52 acres, 40 of which are dedicated to vines. Twenty acres are currently producing Brunello di Montalcino, while the rest are dedicated to Rosso di Montalcino and IGT wines. The vineyards at San Polo were planted between 1990 and 2000 and the first wines were produced in 1997. All vineyards have been planted at high density and are sustainably farmed. Winemaking at San Polo takes a comprehensive approach of quality and sustainability. In place of chemical fertilizers, nitrogen rich cover crops are used to improve the soil. Additionally, careful bud selection and canopy management aim to reduce the incidence of molds and mildews in the vineyards. The wine cellar follows the principles of integration with the natural landscape by harnessing renewable resources to power the winery. Winemaker, Luca d'Attoma, meticulously manages the estate grown fruit and strives to keep energy consumption to a minimum during the winemaking process. The ultimate goal at San Polo is to maximize the expression of the unique hilltop terrior of Montalcino, while preserving it for future generations.
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.