Winemaker Notes
A deep, intense ruby color. The nose is complex, multi-layered characterized by dark red berry fruit, vanilla, and abundant notes of pungent pencil lead and tobacco leaf. The wine on the palate, is full bodied, with big tannic structure, deep complexity and concentration. The finish is elegant and long, lingering on the palate for many minutes.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The purity of sangivoese fruit comes through clearly, with black cherry, raspberry and peach aromas. It’s medium-bodied with fine, firm tannins that run the length of the wine, giving it a superb backbone and length so it can age for years but also deliver an outstanding experience now. From organically grown grapes. Best after 2028.
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Wine Spectator
Rich cherry, raspberry and plum flavors hold court in this succulent red, with dense tannins underneath. There’s also vibrant acidity, giving the impression of energy and driving the lengthy aftertaste. Iron, underbrush and tobacco accents round out the flavor profile. Best from 2029 through 2047.
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Vinous
The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino exhibits an herbal character, with peppery wild berries blending seamlessly with crushed rocks and nuances of pine. It washes across the palate with textures of weighted silk, pliant yet powerful, with depths of tart red fruit and spice. Edgy tannins add cheek-biting tension as the 2021 finishes structured and darkly penetrating. Lose this unbridled beast in the cellar for the best effect.
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.