Winemaker Notes
Podere Salicutti, Montalcino's first certified organic estate, was founded by Francesco Leanza and carefully transitioned to legendary Munich restauranteurs Felix and Sabine Eichbauer, who have guided its evolution toward biodynamic practices while honoring the land's natural rhythms. The estate's 11 hectares of Sangiovese, spread across three adjoining vineyards—Teatro, Sorgente, and Piaggione—sit at 420–500 meters with ideal sun exposure, airflow, and marne-rich soils that enhance ripening and concentration. Salicutti's Brunello di Montalcino reflects the individuality of each plot, combining purity, structure, and a deep expression of terroir.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Salicutti 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Piaggione shows a bright, medium- to full-bodied profile with aromas of wild cherry, forest berry and blue flower carried by a distinctly vertical aromatic line that reinforces Sangiovese purity. Compared to Sorgente, Piaggione offers more floral definition, with notes of violet and rose supported by a firm structure and incisive freshness that capture the character of this outstanding vintage. Sourced from a site with compact, mineral-rich limestone soils strewn with rocks, this focused expression is produced in 5,100 bottles.
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James Suckling
A floral wine with violets, roses, red cherries and a touch of meat on the nose, Full-bodied, it shows weight, concentration, cherry stone flavors, velvety tannins and tense, juicy acidity. A supple finish despite its structure. Drinkable now, but best from 2027.
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Wine Spectator
This red straddles the line between cherry and raspberry fruit and earth, eucalyptus, menthol and Mediterranean scrub flavors. There’s a juicy feel midpalate, and this builds to the long, complex finish. Thick tannins and bright acidity lend structure. Best from 2030 through 2048.
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Vinous
The wickedly fresh 2021 Brunello di Montalcino opens with a captivating bouquet of wild blueberries, sweet lavender, orange shavings and dusty dried roses. It's juicy in feel, silken yet energetic, with crisp wild berry fruits elevated by hints of citrus and spice. Steely mineral tones mingle with fine tannins as this finishes with excellent length, airy and perfumed. A total pleasure to taste.
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.