Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Underbrush, tobacco, new leather, crushed herb and a whiff of mature plum lead the way. The juicy full-bodied palate is still young and taut, evoking ripe black cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice, clove and a hint of coffee. A backbone of youthfully austere fine-grained tannins and bright acidity gives it an age-worthy structure and balance.
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James Suckling
A refined and chewy red with berry and cherry character and pretty walnut, chocolate and hazelnut undertones. Medium to full body. Delicious finish.
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Wine Spectator
An earthy, savory style, with cherry buried in the mix of tobacco, iron and tea flavors, supported by a firm base of tannins and ending on a saline note. Best from 2021 through 2035.
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.